


The End of Hardship

by AnonymousOnce93



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team as Family, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-05-14 14:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19275097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousOnce93/pseuds/AnonymousOnce93
Summary: This was not the way that Dahyun saw her life going. Thankfully she has her eight sisters to help her navigate the biggest and most unexpected turn that her life was taking. (Currently undergoing edits)





	1. Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by some of the stories of the #MeToo movement. 
> 
> All people mentioned in this work are not representative of any real life event or circumstance. This is a work of fiction.

It happened on a Wednesday. The details of why didn't matter. 

 

_ He _ didn't matter. 

 

What mattered was Jihyo finding Dahyun sitting in the floor of their shower, fully clothed, holding her knees tightly to her chest as the water ran off her head. 

 

Dahyun looked up, locking eyes with the older girl. "Unnie..." Her small voice cracks. "I didn't...I told him I didn't want to..." she managed the words, her body visibly shaking with every sob. "He just...wouldn't stop."

 

Jihyo didn't even say a word. She simply got in the shower beside the younger girl, ignoring the fact that her clothes were going to get drenched, sat down and put her arms around the younger girl, holding her as she cried against her. 

 

She had never seen Dahyun so  _ broken _ before.

 

It felt wrong. 

 

Finally when the water ran cold, Jihyo reached behind her and switched off the faucet, not moving from her position holding Dahyun. 

 

"I just wanted it to be over," the younger girl broke the silence, her voice small and full of tears, "it was just supposed to be a modeling interview...I didn't know he was going to make me..." she shuddering, trailing off again.

 

Jihyo didn't make her say anymore. 

 

Jihyo tucked a few wet strands of hair behind Dahyun's ear and wiped the tears from her cheeks.  

 

Jihyo choked back tears of her own, willing herself to be strong for Dahyun's sake.

 

"It's okay. It's over now." Jihyo rocked the younger girl, the cold, wet fabric of their clothes sticking together. "I've got you.  _ I've got you _ ."

 

***

 

It had been two months since the assault, and life had mostly returned to normal. With therapy and time, Dahyun was even beginning to act like her normal goofy self. 

 

It happened on a Saturday morning. 

 

Sana was awakened by the sudden movement as the girl in bed beside her jumped up and ran for the toilet, throwing up what little she had in her stomach. Sana groggily crossed the room, moving to help Dahyun hold back her ashy brown locks of hair, and rubbing a gentle, reassuring hand across her back. 

 

When the younger girl had finished, she sits there, rubbing a hand across her unsettled stomach. 

 

Sana just happens to notice the unused box of tampons she had bought for Dahyun about two months ago, when she had finally grown tired of the younger girl stealing her own. 

 

"Dahyun-ah, when was your last period?" Sana asks, hating that she is even having to ask this question.

 

Dahyun scrunched her eyebrows, confusion crossing her face. She wasn't seeming to understand what Sana was implying. 

 

"I don't remember." She responds, nonchalantly. "Don't be weird, I'm fine."

 

" _ Dahyun-ah _ ," the older girl persists, "have you had it since..." she trails off, trying to be as gentle as possible.

 

Dahyun blankly stared for a moment, realization crossing her face before she promptly threw herself back over the cold porcelain. 

 

—

 

Jeongyeon volunteered to go to the convenience store once Sana had discreetly filled the other girls in on her hunch. 

 

The entire house was tense when Jeongyeon returned, and Dahyun nervously headed to the bathroom. She used both sticks, washed up and walked back out into the main room. 

 

Dahyun couldn't bring herself to look at the test results until she was in the room with the others. 

 

When she finally did look down at the results, she was immediately relieved that their managers weren't currently in the dorm. 

 

Speechless, she sits the two tests down on the coffee table and walks back to her room, shutting the door behind her. 

 

The members all look at the two pregnancy tests on the coffee table, seeing the two little blue lines on one test and a very pink plus sign on the other.

 

They were both positive.

 

None of them say a word. 

 

Tzuyu goes to her room, visibly upset. 

 

The rest of them sit vigil in the living room, the only sound that breaks the silence is Dahyun's muffled sobs coming from her room as she talks on the phone to who they only assumed was her mother. 

 

They eventually disperse, trying to give her some space. 

 

Nayeon and Jeongyeon sit on the cold hardwood floor outside of the younger girl's room, waiting for the door to open. 

 

They were the oldest members. 

 

They had to make sure she was alright. 

 

Jihyo joins them after she has composed herself. "Is she gonna be okay?" She asks, softly. 

 

"I don't know." Jeongyeon replies, mindlessly twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 

 

"We'll help her. We'll make sure she's okay. We have to, right?" Nayeon says with somber resolve. 

 

A silence sits between the three of them as they wait for the door to open. 

 

15 minutes later, Dahyun opens the door—an open invitation for the three older girls to come in—and walks to sit on her bed.

 

Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were stained with tears. She holds her knees close to her chest as she makes room on the bed. 

 

She looked so small. 

 

She looked so  _ scared _ . 

 

"I told her I didn't want to move back home, not if I didn't have to." She states matter-of-factly as Jeongyeon and Nayeon sit on either side of her, while Jihyo finds a seat on the floor in front of her. "I want to stay with you girls for as long as I can. The manager unnies just can't find out. Not yet at least." Dahyun says, nervously biting her lip.  

 

"Are you going to keep it?" Nayeon asks, putting a gentle hand on Dahyun's thigh. 

 

"Yeah," Dahyun says softly. "Yeah I am,” she continues, her voice more sure this time, “but I'm going to need to go to the doctor. I'll need vitamins and stuff to make sure the..." she trails off, unable to finish that sentence, "to make sure everything is okay." 

 

"Jeongyeon and Nayeon still need their flu shots." Jihyo states. 

 

"Why are you bringing this up so suddenly?" Jeongyeon looks at Jihyo, somewhat annoyed at the sudden topic change. 

 

"Because she can go with you two without the managers getting suspicious." Jihyo replies.

 

Dahyun nods. It's a good plan. 

 

It's just not one she ever thought she would be making.

 

***

 

It's a Friday morning when they go to the clinic. Dahyun has already been sick three times by the time they make it to the hospital. She isn't sure if it is her nervous stomach or her hormones, and somehow that just makes things so much worse. 

 

"Everything is gonna be okay, Dahyun-ah." Nayeon says, holding the younger girls hand. "We'll be with you the whole time." 

 

Dahyun squeezes tightly onto her unnie's hand. 

 

The too cold, too bright, clinic smelled of rubbing alcohol and cleaning supplies, and Dahyun had to use all of her willpower to keep herself from being sick at the scent—a heightened sense of smell a side effect of her current condition. 

 

To say the appointment was stressful would be an understatement.

 

Dahyun wiped away a tear as she looked down at the form she was filling out, realizing that she had to erase and correct the checkbox that was asking if she had been sexually active. 

 

She had tried not to think about what happened at all. Let alone remember the fact that he didn't just humiliate her, he took something from her that she couldn't get back—something she didn't want to give away in the first place. 

 

"That's just on paper," Nayeon whispers in the younger girls ear, wrapping an arm around her shoulder after noticing her tears. "That  _ was not _ your first time. That doesn't count, okay? You don't have to feel guilty.  _ You _ didn't do  _ anything _ wrong." She wipes a tear from the girls cheek.

 

Dahyun nods, unable to respond audibly while maintaining her composure. 

 

During the exam, each of the older girls sat on either side of Dahyun, holding her hands for comfort and support.

 

Dahyun's eyes were shut tightly as the doctor tried her best to delicately perform the exam. Dahyun was trying to put herself as far from this room as possible, trying to not think about the last time she had been this  _ exposed _ .

 

Nayeon wiped the tears from Dahyun's cheeks, gently soothing her by petting her ashen locks of hair. "The hard part's almost over, Dah. You are doing good." 

 

Jeongyeon doesn't even bother to wipe her own teary eyes as the doctor explains that there was some visible scarring from the assault. The doctor says that it could have been much worse—speaking of the damage—and Jeongyeon immediately feels like she could let go of the younger girl's hand and punch the doctor in the face, but she knows that wouldn't help anyways. 

 

After a few minutes that seem like an eternity, the worst part of the exam is over. 

 

Dahyun finally opens her eyes, pushing herself off of the table and going into the tiny bathroom to get dressed. 

 

A few minutes later, the ultrasound tech comes in and has her get back on the table, this time much less exposed. The tech begins the exam, looking intently at the monitor. 

 

Dahyun nervously counts ceiling tiles as the tech presses buttons on the computer while moving the wand around the cool gel on her lower abdomen. 

 

The three girls are caught off guard when a very fast  _ wooshing _ noise suddenly fills the room. 

 

This catches Dahyun's attention. 

 

Her eyes are now glued to the screen.

 

"Well, as we confirmed from the blood work and exam, you  _ are _ pregnant. That right there," The tech turns the monitor towards them, pointing out the tiny flickering white spot on the screen, "is the heart. Heartbeat is fast and very healthy. You are measuring at around 10 weeks and a few days, so the fetus is roughly the size of strawberry." 

 

"Baby." Dahyun quietly breathes the first words she has spoken since the exam started. Her eyes haven't looked away from the tiny little heart beating on the screen. "It's a baby." 

 

It's a  _ baby _ .

 

It's  _ her _ baby. 

 

Somehow she wasn't thinking of herself in this moment. 

 

She wasn't even thinking of the terrible reason why she was in this situation in the first place. 

 

All she could think of was this tiny little barely-person living inside of her, it's little heart beating 160 beats per minute. 

 

She doesn't understand, but somehow she can't bring herself to be even the littlest bit upset about this baby.  This tiny, innocent person didn't ask to be made anymore than Dahyun had asked for what had happened to make this baby in the first place.

 

The tech finishes the exam, prints off a few pictures, hands them to Dahyun and leaves the room.

 

The three girls sit in stunned silence. 

 

"You okay, Dahyun-ah?" Nayeon asks, gently rubbing Dahyun's shoulder.

 

Dahyun nods quietly. "Yeah I'm okay. I just want to go home... and maybe get something to eat." 

 

That night, Dahyun curls up in bed next to Sana, laying her head on the older girl's chest. 

 

"Are you alright Dahyun-ah?" Sana asks, noticing the light reflecting off of Dahyun's tear filled eyes. 

 

Dahyun sniffs, tears now escaping from her eyes. "I'm having a baby, unnie." She says, stating the fact that they both already knew. She wipes her teary eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. 

 

"I know." Sana says, bringing Dahyun closer to herself. "You won't have to do it alone though." 

 

"So can I still come share your bed when I'm all fat, disgusting and miserable?" Dahyun cracks a little bit of a smile. 

 

Sana furrows her brow, looking at the younger girl. "Of course," she replies, planting a kiss on Dahyun's cheek, "but you will never be disgusting. There will just be more of you to snuggle." 

 

The two of them laugh, and for the first time in the past week, life feels almost normal again. 

 

***

 

It happened on a Monday afternoon. 

 

Dahyun didn't really talk about her situation much, but mostly because the managers were around. She tried her best to stick to her normal schedule, only falling behind a few times a day due to her frequent morning sickness and the annoying, incessant need to pee. 

 

She was practicing with Mina in the dance studio when she passed out. 

 

Mina crossed the room as quickly as she could,  and put her hoodie underneath Dahyun's head. She then began fanning her, and patting her forehead with a cold washcloth. 

 

Dahyun's eyes opened about 45 seconds later. 

 

Mina helped her to slowly sit upright.

 

"Here," Mina said, handing the younger girl a bottle of cold water. "You okay?" 

 

"Yeah, I just got really dizzy. Then everything just went black." Dahyun said, rubbing the back of her head. "It was so weird."

 

Mina looked around to see if their managers were nearby before whispering. "It's normal in your first trimester—especially if you are exerting yourself. Just sit down if you start feeling dizzy again, so you don't hit your head. Have you eaten today?" 

 

"I had an apple earlier this morning, and some sticky rice." 

 

"Yah-Dahyun, that's not enough." Mina stood up, holding out her hand to help the other girl out of the floor. "Let's go get something and make sure your blood sugar isn't low." 

 

"How do you know so much about this?" Dayhun whispered as they crossed the practice room. "I mean  _ I _ didn't know and I'm the one who's pregnant."

 

"I just don't like feeling helpless. And with everything that's happened, I just wanted to try to be helpful somehow. So I've been doing some research."

 

"So Google?" Dahyun cracked a smile, nudging Mina in the side. 

 

Mina let a guilty laugh escape, and responded with a soft, "Yes." 

 

Dahyun smile grew wider, and she hoped that Mina wouldn't notice the grateful tears in her eyes.

 

***

 

Dahyun has her second doctor's appointment early on a Tuesday morning. Mina and Sana tag along, the latter of the two eager to see the sonogram in action.

 

The appointment was just standard procedures, a blood sample, measurements and the like. 

 

But Dahyun was still a nervous wreck. 

 

"Dahyun, you're a little underweight for where we would like to see you at twelve weeks. You're officially in your second trimester now, so it's very important that you get the appropriate amount of calories." 

 

Dahyun looked away guiltily. Since she found out about the pregnancy she had cut back somewhat on her diet—an attempt to keep her pregnancy under wraps until she was ready to disclose her condition—despite the fact that she was constantly hungry these days. 

 

"You need to make sure to be eating enough for your own health, and then about 500 extra calories for baby, okay? Baby Kim has a lot of growing to do in the next six months, so it needs that energy. It's not too late to make sure of that, okay eomma?" The doctor ends the appointment, and the three girls wait for the ultrasound technician to arrive. 

 

Dahyun nervously bites her lip, tears welling in her eyes. 

 

"What's wrong?" Sana asks, cupping a hand around the younger girls cheek. "She said it's not too late. Baby will still be healthy. You just need to eat more. That's exciting." Sana laughed. "I'm jealous."

 

"It's not that," Dahyun smiled, a small mixture of a laugh and a sob escaping her throat. "It's just that's the first time I've heard actually heard someone call me that.  _ Eomma _ ." 

 

Mina and Sana both embraced the younger member, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. 

 

When the ultrasound tech comes in, the three girls are awestruck at the image on the screen. 

 

The baby has nearly doubled in size since the last appointment. 

 

"Wow." Sana sits, mouth agape. "It's grown so much since the picture we saw before." 

 

"Yeah, they grow fast." The tech replies. "Baby Kim is about the size of a lime now. You want to hear the heartbeat?"

 

Dahyun nods, eager to hear the precious sound. 

 

It takes a minute for the tech to locate the heartbeat, and Dahyun is immediately nervous. 

 

"What's wrong?" She asks, panic in her voice. 

 

"Stay calm," the tech glances at the older two girls, a silent request to keep Dahyun relaxed and still. "Baby is probably just hiding from us. They're being shy."

 

Mina runs a soothing hand up and down Dahyun's arm, calming her until the familiar sound fills the room.

 

"There it is," the tech smiles. "Healthy and fast heart rate."

 

"That's my niece's heartbeat." Sana says, teary eyed. 

 

"Or nephew." Mina quickly corrects her. 

 

Dahyun rolls her eyes, ignoring her unnies. She stays focused on the image on the screen until the second it goes black. 

 

The tech finishes up, hands the latest scans to Dahyun and leaves the room. 

 

"That's your baby, Dahyun-ah." Sana says, wrapping her arms around Dahyun and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

 

"I know," Dahyun smiles, but it quickly fades as she adds, "I've got to take better care of it though."

 

"We'll help you." Mina says, squeezing Dahyun's shoulder. 

 

"Yes. We have to keep agi-dubu fed and let her get all chubby and cute." Sana smiles. 

 

" _ Agi-dubu _ ?" Mina asks, giving a puzzled look to Sana. 

 

"Yes," she confirms. "Saying "it" just feels too weird." 

 

Dahyun smiles. 

 

That little grey and blue shadowy shape on the picture in her hand is her little baby-tofu.

 

***

 

It happens on a Sunday night. 

 

Dahyun gets a text from their producer. He wants to meet with her in the morning. 

 

"He knows." Dahyun says, smoothing her outfit, looking herself over in the mirror, moving back and forth, trying to find some angle that you couldn't see the obvious 3 and a half month bump protruding beneath her the fabric of her t-shirt. 

 

She sighs, frustrated. The small bump was not disappearing.  "He must be able to tell that I'm pregnant."

 

"It's getting hard not to Dahyunnie." Chaeyoung says, walking up behind Dahyun and pulling up the older girl's shirt just enough to reveal her bump. 

 

Dahyun pushes Chaeyoung away playfully. She rolls her eyes and pulls her shirt back down, allowing her fingers to run across her midsection for a moment longer.

 

She wants to argue with Chaeyoung, but she knows that she isn't lying. 

 

She really  _ was _ starting to look pregnant. 

 

She didn't just look like she had gained a few pounds from one too many late night snacks—like it had been in the days before she realized she was pregnant—it was something entirely different. It wasn't just the growing baby bump either. She could see the proportions of her own body changing daily. 

 

"Besides, the manager-unnies aren't blind. You are sick constantly, but you still eat everything in sight, and you just look...different. Not bad different," Chaeyoung continued. "You just look...I dunno,  _ pregnant _ ."  

 

Dahyun groans in exasperation.  "He is going to fire me, Chaengie." Dahyun states. "I'll have to move back home and get a regular job." 

 

"He isn't going to fire you. I promise." Chaeyoung says, wrapping her arms around her older sister's waist. "Just have faith." She says, planting a kiss on her cheek. 

 

The next day the other members all request a meeting with their producer before Dahyun is scheduled to meet with him. 

 

One by one they threaten to breach their contracts and disband the group if he punishes Dahyun for something that was not at all her fault. 

 

When Dahyun's meeting finally comes, he simply acknowledges the fact that he knows she is pregnant, and goes over a number of plans to make sure she doesn't get crucified in the media once reporters and netizens started putting two and two together. 

 

She finally figures out what the girls had done about a week later, and she can't seem to thank them without crying. 

 

***

 

It's a Thursday morning when everything changes. 

 

Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Jihyo all sat nervously in the waiting room of the doctor's office, trying to ignore the stares of other patients. 

 

Dahyun runs a hand across her midsection, and gasps at the sudden movement she feels beneath her fingertips. 

 

"What's wrong?" Jihyo sits up immediately, ready to go into panic mode. 

 

"Nothing." Dahyun chuckles. "I started feeling the baby move yesterday. It feels so  _ weird _ ." She smiles, her hand still running circles across her stomach. "You guys should be able to feel it soon too." 

 

"I'm just going to be glad when  _ he _ isn't an  _ it _ anymore" Chaeyoung chimes in. 

 

"What makes you so sure  _ she _ isn't a  _ she _ ?" Jihyo asks in rebuttal. 

 

The group is split pretty evenly down the middle on the gender. 

 

4 for girl. 

 

3 for boy. 

 

Dahyun hadn't given her answer yet. 

 

Tzuyu didn't answer when they had asked her.

 

"What do you think?" Jihyo turns to Dahyun, "Mina read online that the mother is right 9 times out of 10." 

 

"I have a feeling..." Dahyun says, smiling mischievously, "...but I'm not telling. I just want to make sure that my agi-dubu is healthy." 

 

When they go back to the exam room, Dahyun blushes as the nurse praises her healthy weight gain in front of the other two girls. 

 

"So can we find out the gender today?" Chaeyoung asks the ultrasound technician once Dahyun's exam had begun

 

The tech nods in affirmation, but before she can confirm the gender, Dahyun stops her, "I don't want to know unless I know the baby is healthy." 

 

The tech nods again, smiling. She switches to the 4d ultrasound. The three members watch the screen in astonishment. 

 

"Heart rate is fantastic. Strong and steady. Length and weight are perfect for 19 weeks, baby is about 14 centimeters long and about point 22 kilograms. Baby Kim’s vital organs are all developing perfectly," the tech points to the chubby little face on the screen. "And  _ she _ has her eomma's cheeks already." 

 

"It's a girl?" Chaeyoung asks smiling ear to ear. She doesn't even care if she lost the bet. 

 

The tech nods in confirmation.

 

"Yes. A very healthy girl. Eomma is doing a great job." 

 

Chaeyoung and Jihyo are both wiping their teary eyes, but Dahyun's gaze is still transfixed on the screen. 

 

Everything is somehow different now. This little person occupying her body feels suddenly so much more real. 

 

_ She _ is so real. 

 

Dahyun is going to have a daughter.

 

—

 

When they return home to the dorm, the other members (minus Tzuyu) are anxiously waiting in the living room. 

 

"Well?" Sana asks, eagerly jumping up as soon as the door opened. "Did you find out?" 

 

Dahyun begins to answer before Momo interrupts. 

 

"Please tell me. I won't be able to stand it if it's going to be a surprise." 

 

"I think this whole thing was surprise enough, Momo-yah." Jeongyeon laughs. 

 

"Agreed." Dahyun nods, her lips tight in a smirk. "Are you guys ready?" She asks, grabbing something from her bag. She pulls out a tiny pink unicorn onesie and throws it at Nayeon. 

 

"She's a girl?" Nayeon says, her eyes bright.

 

"She is." Dahyun's smile grows, stretching from ear to ear. "My healthy, beautiful little girl." Dahyun affectionately patted her bump. 

 

The seven present members spent the rest of the night trying to suggest outrageous baby names to Dahyun, which she quickly shot down. 

 

Eventually they wind up watching television, all of them stretching out in various spots across the living room. 

 

Dahyun was snuggled up on the couch, hand draped lovingly over her bump while resting her head on a pillow in Jeongyeon's lap. 

 

At some point, Chaeyoung makes a stupidly punny joke, expecting to hear Dahyun's too-loud laughter. 

 

Instead the room is silent. 

 

She looks back to see Dahyun fast asleep on the couch, Jeongyeon loosely braiding the younger girl's strands of hair. 

 

"Shh." Jeongyeon whispers. "She's been snoring since about fifteen minutes into the movie. Making a tiny person must be exhausting." She smiles. 

 

Chaeyoung makes sure to snap a polaroid of the two before Dahyun wakes up and heads to her bed for the night. 

 

She writes a note on the bottom of the picture before placing it on the refrigerator.  

 

_ "Sleep tight, unnie." _

 

***

 

It's a Thursday afternoon when all hell breaks loose. 

 

Dahyun comes through the front door of the apartment, visibly upset. Jeongyeon, Nayeon and Mina were following after her. 

 

"What happened!?" Chaeyoung asked the older girls, concern washing over her.

 

"Check your phone." Mina replied. 

 

Chaeyoung looked at her phone, noticing the flood of notifications on her SNS account. All of the messages seemed to point her towards an article on a gossip site.

 

The media had finally figured it out. 

 

Dozens of articles breaking the story of Dahyun's pregnancy, spreading rumors of who the father was, shaming Dahyun and worst of all the hundreds of comments calling the baby an onslaught of terrible names— _ seochul-ui, sasaeng-a _ , and so much worse. 

 

"Oh my God." Chaeyoung said, running a hand through her hair. 

 

"Jihyo-unnie and the production team are going to make an official statement to try to calm the media, but that's all we can do really."   

 

A half an hour later, Dahyun still hadn't emerged from her room.

 

"Dahyun-ah," Nayeon knocked lightly on the door. "Can I come in? We're worried about you." 

 

"It's open, unnie." Dahyun replied. 

 

Nayeon opened the door to see Dahyun standing in front of her mirror, looking herself over intently. 

 

"I thought the oversized shirts would've at least bought me a few more weeks." She turns to the side, and runs a hand along the convex outline of her midsection. At 5 months along, her ever growing baby bump was next to impossible to hide at this point.

 

"Yah," Nayeon walked over and put a comforting hand on Dahyun's shoulder. "You are a small woman growing a big baby. They were going to figure it out eventually." 

 

"I know." Dahyun sighs. "I just didn't know they would be so  _ cruel _ ."

 

"Don't worry about what they are saying about you. You know the truth of the situation." Nayeon replies. 

 

"That's not it. I don't care about what they say about me, unnie," Dahyun replies, holding her hands protectively over her stomach. "But when they talked about  _ her _ ..." She chokes back an angry sob, "I never realized just how much it would affect me. She's innocent in all of this. She hasn't even been born yet and they already have all these  _ opinions _ about her." 

 

"Well all of their opinions about her are wrong." 

 

"Not entirely." Dahyun says quietly, wiping away a tear.

 

Nayeon knows exactly what she is referencing.  

 

"Listen." Nayeon sits on the bed, patting the seat beside her to invite Dahyun to join her. "She might be  _ fatherless _ , but she isn't  _ familyless _ ." 

 

"She just...she just deserves the world, Nayeon-unnie." 

 

"And she has an eomma who would move heaven and earth to give it to her. Don't think we haven't seen how you already are with her." 

 

Nayeon laces her fingers with Dahyun's.

 

"I know you ask her what she wants you to eat for breakfast every morning. I hear you sing lullabies to get her to go to sleep and stop kicking you after she wakes you up at all hours of the night to go to the bathroom. I know you play your piano for her just because you know she starts moving whenever she hears it. I've seen the way your eyes light up when you look at her squishy little face on those ultrasound pictures. There is no one else on this planet that loves this girl more than you, and that is enough.  _ You _ are enough." 

 

Dahyun couldn't respond without crying, so she simply leaned over into Nayeon's arms. 

 

"Unnie, can I ask you something?" 

 

Nayeon nods. 

 

"Would you be there in the room to help me when I have her? I'll need a birthing coach, and they said it should be someone I trust to help keep me calm through contractions and focused when it's time to push. The first person I thought of was you." 

 

Nayeon smiles, holding the younger member close to herself. "Of course I will, Dahyun-ah. I would be honored."

 

*** 

 

It happens late one Tuesday night. 

 

Momo hadn't been the least surprised when she felt Dahyun's warm body curling up in her bed at 2am. The girl practically never slept alone before the assault, but Momo isn't sure Dahyun had slept alone at all since, taking turns sleeping with a different member every night. 

 

Rather than being annoyed at the lack of space, Momo pushed herself to the furthest edge of the bed, and gave the majority of the bed to Dahyun so she could get comfortable. 

 

Dahyun wraps the older girls arm around herself and quickly falls asleep, comforted by the company of her unnie. 

 

Momo is close to sleep herself when she feels the tiniest movements beneath the palm of her hand that is spread across the younger girl's stomach. She doesn't think anything of it at first, but then she realizes. 

 

_ Oh _ .

 

She slides quietly out of the bed and tiptoes to the other side, gently placing both of her hands across Dahyun's bump. 

 

"Hello little one." Momo whispers, smiling at the little kicks she feels beneath her fingertips. "I'm your Momo-oba. It's very nice to meet you, but you really should be sleeping. Your eomma needs to rest." 

 

Momo doesn't sleep at all that night. She spends her entire night in a one-sided conversation, getting to know this squirmy little person that she can't wait to meet. 

 

***

 

Tzuyu had done her best to keep her distance through Dahyun's entire pregnancy, staying to herself more than usual. The group as a whole hadn't really picked up on her absence, but Dahyun missed the younger girl's company. 

 

Everything blew up on a Friday morning.  

 

Dahyun was standing in the kitchen, leaning back against the countertop, happily munching on a bag of baby carrots, talking with the group while Nayeon, Mina and Sana all took turns feeling the baby moving. 

 

"She's so active!" Sana exclaimed, gently rubbing Dahyun's bump. 

 

"She's Dahyun-ah's, would you expect anything less?" Jeongyeon jokes from across the room. 

 

"She is going to be a handful." Nayeon laughs. "Luckily she has all eight aunties to help her eomma to not go crazy. Isn't that right?" Nayeon says, talking directly to the bump. She feels a forceful kick beneath her fingers. 

 

"I think she agrees, unnie." Dahyun replies, mouth full of carrots. "Chewy you should come feel of this, she's hyper right now." 

 

"That's okay," Tzuyu quietly responds, getting a drink from the refrigerator. 

 

"Come on Tzuyu-ah, you are the only one who hasn't felt her move yet." Mina urges, grabbing Tzuyu's hand and trying to place it on Dahyun's bump. 

 

"Stop. I said I didn't want to." Tzuyu replies firmly, yanking her arm away like they were trying to place her hand on a hot stovetop. 

 

Dahyun throws the bag of carrots on the counter and quickly heads to her room, dejected and teary eyed, and slams the door behind her. 

 

Tzuyu immediately feels a guilty knot rise in her throat.  

 

Truth be told she has felt guilty for the past six months now. 

 

After a few minutes Tzuyu walks to Dahyun's room and gently knocks on the door. 

 

"Dahyunnie, will you let me in please?" Tzuyu quietly asks, knowing that she's hurt her older sister. 

 

Dahyun opens the door, wiping her teary eyes. 

 

Tzuyu walks in, her tall, slender frame towering over her barefoot unnie. She holds out her arms and embraces the shorter girl, a silent apology. 

 

Dahyun tries her best not to cry, but almost six months into her pregnancy, emotional control was not her strong suit. 

 

"I feel like you are ashamed of me, Tzuyu-yah." Dahyun says, pulling away and walking to sit on her bed. 

 

Tzuyu follows and sits on the bed beside her. 

 

"I'm not ashamed. Not of you. I promise." 

 

"Then what is it? You've barely spent time with me since  _ this _ happened." Dahyun says, holding a protective hand over her midsection. 

 

Tzuyu stops for a moment, collecting herself before quietly responding. She anxiously pushes a piece of hair behind her ear. 

 

"You know that it's my fault, right? You wouldn't even be going through this if I hadn't have skipped that interview. We were both supposed to be there," she breathes in deeply before finishing her thought, "I'm ashamed of  _ me _ ." 

 

Dahyun feels her heart break as she looks into Tzuyu's big, sad eyes.

 

"I know you must hate me for that. It's because of me that he—If I had been there..."

 

"No," Dahyun interrupts her. "If you had been there he would have just hurt us both. What happened...What he  _ did _ to me isn't your fault anymore than it was mine. I don't blame you, Chewy. Not at all." 

 

Tzuyu is surprised by the sudden sob that escapes her own throat when she hears those words. She feels like she has been holding it in for months. 

 

Dahyun wraps her arms around Tzuyu as the younger girl makes herself smaller and curls against her side, crying.   

 

"Dahyunnie...You're going to have a  _ baby _ ." Tzuyu chokes out the words between sobs, letting this realization actually hit her.

 

"I am," Dahyun nods, weakly smiling through her own tears before wiping Tzuyu's cheek. "It's gonna be okay though. She's my silver lining in all of this."

 

The two of them sit there quietly for a few minutes before Tzuyu speaks again. 

 

"Can I ask you something without making you upset?" 

 

Dahyun gives her approval with a nod. 

 

"Why did you decide to keep it?  _ Her _ I mean, after what happened..." 

 

While most were illegal, there were always options that could be sought after. 

 

"I just...couldn't imagine  _ not _ keeping her. Not for a second. She is  _ mine _ . If I got rid of her just because of how she was made..." Dahyun trails off, "I wasn't going to let  _ him _ take anything else from me that wasn't his to take. When I look at her," Dahyun struggles, stretching to grab the 4d ultrasound picture from her bedside table, "I don't think about him, and I don't even think about what happened to me. I just see her little face. She's my  _ baby _ , Tzuyu-ah." 

 

Tzuyu looks at the photo and let's a small chuckle escape. "She has chubby little dubu cheeks." 

 

Dahyun smiles, running her hand across her bump and feeling the movement underneath the palm of her hand.  She holds out her hand, silently offering Tzuyu another chance to feel. 

 

Tzuyu gives her hand over, letting Dahyun place it where the baby had been last moving. The younger girl's eyes widened when she felt the surprisingly strong movements beneath her fingertips. 

 

"She really  _ is _ hyper...and strong." Tzuyu smiles, cuddling up against Dahyun, rubbing her thumb back and forth across the older girl's abdomen, her hand not moving from it's position.

 

"She is," Dahyun responds softly. "I've really missed you Tzuyu-ah" 

 

"I've missed you too."

 

"Promise me you won't run away again when she comes?"  

 

Tzuyu nods. She isn't going anywhere again.

 

***

 

It's a hot summer night when Dahyun realizes just how protective her unnies were of her in her current state. 

 

Sana and Jeongyeon were bickering, a mess of wooden slats, screws, nails and tools were sprawled across the bedroom floor. 

 

"That's not the right way," Jeongyeon said, pulling the instruction manual out of Sana's hand. "I think you missed a step." 

 

"You can't read Swedish anymore than I can, Jeongyeon!" Sana exclaimed, taking back the paper. 

 

Dahyun walked wide-eyed into the chaos of the room. At almost eight months pregnant she refused to admit that she was now waddling, so instead she insisted on referring to her new gait as "pregnancy swagger".

 

"You guys look like you need help." Dahyun says, starting to try and cross the minefield in the floor. 

 

"Wait!" Both Sana and Jeongyeon shout in unison, their argument finding a common ground: protecting their younger member. 

 

"We've got this, you don't need to be in here, you might get hurt." Jeongyeon says.

 

"Yeah, why don't you go relax, prop up your feet and watch TV or something?" Sana added. 

 

Dahyun rolled her eyes. "You guys know I'm not going to break, right? I mean this crib is for  _ my _ baby anyways, so shouldn't I help?"

 

Ignoring her words, the two older girls simply pointed to the door. 

 

Dahyun sighs, shoving her hands into the pockets of her overalls and leaving the room, appeasing her unnies.

 

***

 

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon when School Meal Club holds their last officially unofficial meeting with just the three of them. The three girls are sprawled across the large couch in a tangled mess, both of the younger girls allowing their  _ very _ pregnant unnie to get comfortable across them.

 

"The unnies are treating me like I'm made of glass." Dahyun said, lifting her head from the crook of Tzuyu's arm. "It's driving me insane." 

 

"They mean well. I'm sure they just want to make sure you and agi-dubu are okay." Chaeyoung replied. 

 

"I get that, but I'm pregnant not  _ dying _ . They act like I should be living in a bubble."

 

"Yeah, but unnie, you're eight months pregnant. She's going to be here in around a month. They are just nervous." Tzuyu said, mindlessly playing with a strand of Dahyun's hair. "We all are." She adds. 

 

"I swear, this baby has us all wrapped around her tiny finger." Dahyun laughed. "I love her so much already. I can't wait to actually meet her."

 

"Oh my god," Chaeyoung gasped. "I guess there will be a new member of maknae line next month." 

 

"I won't be the youngest anymore." Tzuyu states softly, a small smile crossing her face. 

 

"And I'm going to be an eomma." Dahyun sighed. 

 

Eight months of morning sickness, cramps, weight gain, little kicks and hiccups and she still wasn't used to the idea. 

 

She was going to be someone's mom.

 

***

 

It's happens on a Wednesday afternoon.  

 

Momo and Dahyun were choreographing together in the dance studio when it happened. 

 

Momo was dancing with her usual level of enthusiasm, but understandably Dahyun was not. 

 

The younger girl stopped every few minutes, holding her low back and rubbing a comforting hand across the taut skin of her abdomen. 

 

Momo continued with more caution every time. 

 

"Are you sure you are okay Dahyun-ah?" Momo asked, concerned. "You can just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do the dancing." 

 

"I'm fine, unnie. Let's keep going." Dahyun panted, taking a drink from her water bottle. 

 

At 37 weeks pregnant, Dahyun was by no means pushing herself physically, but still she refused to fall behind in her work.

 

They continued to work through dance steps until it happened. 

 

Dahyun suddenly bent against the mirrored wall in pain, feeling warm liquid run down her leg. She reached down and looked in shock as she saw what appeared to be blood on her fingers. Before she had a chance to react she felt her muscles contract. 

 

"Unnie—" The younger girl groaned, choking out the word. 

 

Momo didn't even take a second to think before reacting. She ran to the smaller girl and picked her up in her arms, carrying her bridal style out of the studio. Momo walked to the building's parking garage as fast as she could with younger girl in her arms. 

 

She sat Dahyun down in the back seat of Nayeon's car. 

 

Dahyun moaned through gritted teeth. 

 

"Shh, just try to breathe. I'll be right back." Momo said, starting to shut the door. 

 

"Momo-unnie, wait!" Dahyun cried. "Please... don't leave me alone. I'm so scared." 

 

"Dahyun-ah, I can't drive you myself or I would. I have to go get help. I'll be right back, I promise. It's gonna be okay." 

 

Momo ran as fast as she could up the stairs, taking the longest strides she could until she made it to their condominium.

 

She opened the door, breathlessly managing to pant the words, "it's Dahyun-ah." 

 

Nayeon and Mina didn't even take time to process, they simply ran with Momo down the stairs and into the car.

 

***

 

Dahyun nervously looked around at the various monitors that had been hooked up to her since they had arrived at the hospital, somehow wishing that she was not currently in this situation. 

 

Premature labor.

 

That's what the doctor had said.

 

The small amount of blood and fluid was scary yes, but also normal. 

 

She was in labor. 

 

The 5 other girls had piled into the hospital room once Nayeon had called them to let them know what was happening. 

 

"Have you heard from my parents?" Dahyun asked, her face scrunching in discomfort as another contraction hit. Mina sat on the hospital bed behind Dahyun, rubbing her hips and low back, trying to massage away some of the pain. 

 

"They can't get a flight out until tomorrow." Jeongyeon replied, tension in her voice. 

 

Dahyun's heart sank. 

 

"You aren't going to be alone. I'm going to be there the entire time, and the doctor said that one or two more of us can be there to help." Nayeon said, standing beside the bed. 

 

As the contraction ended, Dahyun rested against Mina, glad that pain was over for a few minutes. 

 

***

 

As the hours passed, the 8 girls took turns trying to keep Dahyun relaxed and distracted. 

 

Between contractions, Dahyun was somewhat her normal self, going on about whatever TV program was playing, and raving about the foods she wanted to eat as soon as she had given birth. During her contractions however, she was all business. Her demeanor completely changed as she focused solely on breathing. 

 

Sana sat in the chair beside the bed, holding Dahyun's hand. Jeongyeon was at the foot of the bed, gently rubbing Dahyun's swollen feet.

 

"The contractions are getting stronger." Sana mentioned, looking towards the monitor on the other side of the bed. 

 

"You think?" Dahyun responded sarcastically, leaning back in the bed. 

 

She looked over to the heart rate monitor, carefully watching the number's tiny fluctuations. She ran a hand over her stomach, loving and soft. 

 

"She wasn't supposed to come for another three weeks." Dahyun sighed. "I haven't even rearranged me and Chaeng's room to make space for her crib yet."

 

"Did you really think that  _ your _ baby wasn't going to be a little troublemaker?" Jeongyeon chuckled.

 

"Besides, when do you sleep in your own bed anyways? The crib is already put together in me and Jihyo's room." Sana smiled. "And it's on wheels, so we can just move her wherever you wind up sleeping that night." 

 

Dahyun smiled. The girls had a point. Before she could respond, another contraction hit. 

 

Moments later the doctor came into the room to check Dahyun's progress. 

 

Ten centimeters. It was go time. 

 

Jihyo, Sana, Jeongyeon, Momo and Chaeyoung  moved nervously to the waiting room. 

 

Tzuyu paced the floor nervously outside the delivery room, unable to bring herself in, but also unable to leave. 

 

Nayeon stood on one side of Dahyun, holding her hand, and Mina stood on the other side of her, wiping the girl's sweaty brow. 

 

She pushed for over an hour without much progress, which the doctor assured was normal. 

 

Dahyun was exhausted. She looked up at Nayeon with tears in her eyes. 

 

"I don't think I can do this, unnie." She gritted her teeth as another contraction hit. "I can't—"

 

"Yes you can, Dah, you've gotta be a strong eomma right now. This is for your agi-dubu, remember?" Nayeon said, holding Dahyun's cheek with her free hand. "Just a little more."

 

"She really needs to push." The doctor said, looking to Mina and Nayeon with concern in her eyes. 

 

"It's still too early. She's not ready. She's not ready." Dahyun cried, her whimpers slowly turning into a breathless chant of, "I'm not ready. I'm not ready." 

 

As if on cue, Tzuyu walked into the room. She crossed behind the doctors, ignoring the exposed condition of her unnie, and took the place of one of the nurses holding Dahyun's leg up. 

 

"Hey, look at me," Tzuyu said, supporting the weight of Dahyun's leg in her arms, "she needs you. She wants to meet her eomma and her aunties. You can do this Dahyunnie." 

 

Dahyun locked eyes with the younger girl. 

 

"You can do this. You're ready to meet her, remember?" Tzuyu said, as the doctor's nodded for Dahyun to push again. "Now let's have a baby, okay?" Tzuyu smiled.

 

"Come on, push push push." Nayeon and Mina both said, coaching Dahyun through the contraction. 

 

"Good girl, Dahyun-ah." The doctor stated, "Catch your breath. I can see her head. Two more pushes and you'll be able to hold your daughter." 

This single longing hope gave Dahyun renewed strength. 

 

With the next two contractions she pushed with all of the effort and strength she could muster in her tiny 5'2 frame. 

 

It was a Thursday morning at 1am when she heard her daughter's first cry. 

 

There wasn't a dry eye among the members present as the doctor placed the tiny pink bundle on top of Dahyun's chest for a moment before promptly taking her away to run a gamete of tests across the room. 

 

Dahyun's eyes followed the girl, craning her head to look across the room, needing to see  _ her _ . 

 

"Is she okay?!" She panted, her face covered in a mixture of sweat and tears. 

 

Nayeon looked over at the table where the doctors were tending to the tiny human, happy tears rolling freely. 

 

"She's perfect, Dahyun-ah." The oldest girl placed a kiss on Dahyun's cheek. "You did such a good job."

 

Dahyun leaned back, out of breath. 

 

"You did great, unnie." Tzuyu said, gently wiping the sweaty strands of hair from Dahyun's eyes. 

 

Mina crossed the room, carefully watching the doctor's every move as they took care of the tiniest and newest person in their group. 

 

No one would know that the little pink bundle was 3 weeks early. She weighed just over six and a half pounds, was just shy of nineteen inches and had an APGAR score better than some full term babies.

 

The doctor carefully handed the baby over to Mina. 

 

"Let me see her." Dahyun reached out her tired arms as Mina crossed the room holding the baby. 

 

She placed her in Dahyun's arms and Dahyun couldn't help but cry. 

 

This little person was all of her hopes and dreams wrapped up in a tiny pink blanket. 

 

"Hey there," Dahyun softly cooed through her tears. "I know you. I'm your eomma." 

 

The little girl opened her single-lidded eyes, revealing the darkest shade of blue-ish brown that Dahyun had ever seen. 

 

She couldn't deny the girl if she wanted to. She was the spitting image of her mother, down to the tiny wisps of hair that would someday be her eyebrows.

 

"Have you thought of a name?" Nayeon asked, gently reaching out a hand and rubbing the tiny pink foot sticking out from the bundle in Dahyun's arms. 

 

Dahyun nodded, not looking away from the baby. 

 

Her  _ baby _ .

 

Her daughter.  

 

" _ Ha-eun. _ " 

 

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not what had happened in the past. Not any other day of her entire life. It all culminated here. 

 

She was Ha-eun's eomma. 

 

This perfect, tiny little girl had put all of her broken pieces back together. 

 

And she felt complete.

 

***

 

~ At the end of hardship comes happiness. ~

Korean Proverb


	2. Year One

_~ 2 Days Old ~_

 

Life had changed so much in the past 48 hours that Dahyun honestly hadn't had a chance to let it all hit her yet. The only thing that she knew was that she was absolutely enamored, head over heels in love with this little person she had made. 

 

Tiny squeaking cries fill the room, pulling Dahyun from her thoughts. She walked over and picked up the girl from her bassinet, holding her close to her chest as she sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. 

 

Haeun instinctively grabbed a fistful of her mother's hair as she began to try and nurse. 

 

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry," Dahyun cooed, "You are just a hangry little dubu, aren't you?"

 

The baby's cries softened and finally ceased, content at her mother's breast. 

 

"How about you, eomma?" Nayeon asked. 

 

The oldest member hadn't left Dahyun's side since she had given birth. Even when Dahyun's parents had made it to the hospital the day after Haeun was born and offered to release her of duty, Nayeon still refused to leave her sister's side, insisting on keeping watch over her.

 

_("You know you can go home and sleep in a real bed? We'll keep an eye on them." Her parents had said, watching as Nayeon cuddled up in the uncomfortable—and ugly—maroon-colored recliner in the corner of the hospital room._

 

_"That's okay. I promised her I would stay, so I'm staying."_

 

_"We're glad she has you, Nayeon. All of you.")_

 

"Jihyo just put on some more seaweed soup for you, if you want some. You need to keep up your energy." Nayeon said, leaning on the doorframe. 

 

"What I  _need_  is a bowl of ramyun the size of my head." Dahyun chuckled softly, trying not to disturb the little pink bundle falling asleep in her arms. "But seaweed soup doesn't sound terrible." 

 

Nayeon smiled and nodded, walking to the kitchen to retrieve the soup for the younger member. 

 

Nayeon was a naturally protective unnie, so she really didn't mind taking care of Dahyun while Dahyun took care of their newest little member. 

 

"You know, you really don't have to keep watch over us like this, unnie." Dahyun said as Nayeon entered the room, a cup of warm soup in hand. 

 

"I know I don't  _have_  to," Nayeon replied, sitting the cup of soup down on the end table beside Dahyun, "But we all want to help. However we can. Even if we are just making sure that  _you_  are okay." 

 

Haeun stirred in her mother's arms as Dahyun switched sides the girl nursed from. 

 

"Shh...eomma's got you. Just go back to sleep." Dahyun cooed gently. 

 

"It's still so hard to believe you are someone's eomma," Nayeon said. "You're a natural though." 

 

"I know, it's crazy," Dahyun replied, her eyes unmoving from the girl in her arms, "She is pretty low maintenance though.  I feed her. I change her. She sleeps. Repeat."

 

"I'm serious though. You look like a pro." 

 

Dahyun chuckled slightly. "Maternal instincts I guess." 

 

"Just remember, if there is anything at all you need, just let me know and one of us can do it for you." 

 

Dahyun smiled, looking up from her daughter and linking eyes with her eldest unnie, "Then you know I wasn't kidding about the ramyun, right?"

…

 

_~ 3 Days Old ~_

 

It was just before sunrise when Dahyun woke up in a panic, unable to feel the soft weight of Haeun asleep on her chest. She found the bassinet empty beside her, so she stumbled out of bed, put on her horn-rimmed glasses and hurried around the dorm. 

 

To her relief, she saw Jeongyeon rocking Haeun softly in the dimly lit living room. 

 

"She was fussy. I just changed her, and I couldn't be much help for feeding her, but I think she just wanted some attention." Jeongyeon said, letting the girl wrap her tiny hand around her finger. "Isn't that right, aga?" 

 

Dahyun had been surprised at just how soft that Jeongyeon had been with her daughter. The older girl was not normally the affectionate type, but her demeanor completely changed around the baby. Jeongyeon looked at the three-day-old girl like she had hung the moon and stars with her chubby little hands.

 

"You can lay back down if you want," Jeongyeon whispered. "I can keep her company 'til you are ready to feed her." 

 

Dahyun nodded, walking over to place a gentle kiss on the soft feathers of hair atop the baby's head before cuddling up on the couch. 

 

"Are you sure you are okay with her, unnie?" Dahyun asked, covering herself up with a blanket. "I don't want you losing sleep because of us."

 

"Yeah," Jeongyeon replied, smiling softly as the tiny girl curled up against her, "I think she just needs some time with her Jeongyeon-imo. Get some rest, because once she's hungry, I'm useless to her."

...

 

_~ 4 days old ~_

 

Hirai Momo was a nervous wreck, and that was putting it nicely.  

 

Since Dahyun had come home with Haeun from the hospital she had kept her distance, admiring the baby from afar. 

 

"Momo, have you had a chance to hold her yet?" Dahyun asked, noticing Momo's stare from across the room. 

 

“No,” Momo shook her head. “That's okay though. I'm sure she'd rather be held by her eomma." 

 

Dahyun ignored the older member and crossed the room with the baby in her arms. 

 

"She just nursed, I just changed her, and she isn't fussy. This is the perfect time for you to get a chance to hold her, Momo-unnie. Here," Dahyun didn't ask questions, she simply placed the tiny bundle in Momo's arms. "Support her head like this," she helped Momo get comfortable holding the baby, making sure her position was just right. "There. That wasn't so bad was it auntie Momo?" Dahyun said, her voice soft.

 

Momo stood statue-like in the position that Dahyun had put her in. 

 

"Unnie, relax. She's not going to bite you." Dahyun laughed, rubbing Momo's arm reassuringly.  

 

"She's just so small," Momo replied, still stiff as a board. "I don't want to hurt her." 

 

Dahyun smiled softly. "Momo-unnie, she made it safely into this world because of you. If you hadn't have been there to carry us to Nayeon-unnie's car, I would have been all alone when I went into labor. You aren't going to hurt her. I trust you." 

 

The little girl turned her head towards her mother's voice, startling Momo. 

 

"See unnie,  _she_  isn't scared," Dahyun said, her voice shifting to a higher pitch as she got closer to Haeun. "She's only four days old, how can that be scary?" 

 

Momo relaxed her shoulders, feeling the light weight of the girl in her arms. "Hi there aga, I'm your Momo-Oba." 

 

Haeun blinked her dark monolid eyes up at Momo, making the older girl’s heart completely melt. 

 

"Oh? Do you remember me? We had lots of good talks when you were still in eomma's tummy. You are a very strong kicker." Momo chuckled, trying to comprehend how those strong little kicks came from the same tiny pair of socked feet bundled up in her arms.

 

It was surreal. 

 

"Dahyun-ah, she looks so much like you. She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

 

A few quiet moments passed before Dahyun noticed Haeun squirming slightly in Momo's arms. 

"You want me to take her?" She asked. 

 

"No, that's okay. I think we have some catching up to do." Momo said, her eyes not moving from the little girl. 

...

 

_~ 1 week old ~_

 

Dahyun was curled up in Sana's bed, trying to rest as much as she could while Haeun slept in the bassinet beside her. 

 

Sana craned her neck to look at the clock, waiting for the stroke of 1am before singing a very quiet version of Happy Birthday to the little sleeping 

 

" _Whyareyousinging_?" Dahyun mumbled, half asleep. 

 

"Haeun's officially a week old." 

 

Dahyun opened her eyes, still groggy and smiled at Sana. 

 

"Unnie," Dahyun laughed quietly as to not wake the baby, "go back to sleep. I have to take her to the doctor in the morning for her checkup, and she will be up in about an hour to nurse. We can celebrate in the morning." 

 

Sana was perhaps the most exuberant of the members when it came to Haeun. She loved playing peekaboo, rocking the girl, tickling her little feet and watching her toes curl reflexively—even though at this early age these activities were really only for Sana's own benefit. 

 

Sana had never gotten to be a big sister growing up, but being an auntie to her best friend's daughter was a close second.

...

 

_~ 10 days old ~_

 

Dahyun had slept for a total of 4 hours across the previous three days. Haeun was hitting a growth spurt, and the tiny girl was not happy about it. 

 

Jihyo was always the leader, so she took charge in making sure that both Dahyun and Haeun were taken care of.

 

From making sure that Dahyun had remembered to eat, to holding Haeun so that Dahyun could shower, to simply keeping the younger member company as she tried her best to rock her fussy daughter to sleep. 

 

"I don't know what else to do," Dahyun said, as tears welled up in her eyes, postpartum hormones in full effect. "I feel like a failure and she hasn't even been here a full two weeks."

 

Jihyo sat beside Dahyun, wrapping her arms around her and the very angry pink bundle in her arms. 

 

"You are doing great. She's just growing. This is just her first big growth spurt outside of her eomma." Jihyo smiled, "I'll go call the pediatrician and see what they recommend." Jihyo said, leaving the room.  

 

After waiting on the phone for 20 minutes, Jihyo returned with a bottle of baby Tylenol in hand,  "They said you can give her..." she trailed off, looking at the younger member. 

 

Dahyun had her eyes closed, fast asleep, still sitting up on the couch, while Haeun was lazily pacify-nursing in her sleep. 

 

Jihyo smiled as she walked over and covered both of them up with a light blanket. 

 

"Sleep tight, you've earned it, Dahyun-ah." 

...

 

_~ 2 weeks old ~_

 

Dahyun was slowly getting back to her normal self after giving birth two weeks ago. She couldn't count the hours of sleep she had actually gotten since she brought Haeun home, but she didn't mind. 

 

Thankfully, the army of aunties that this girl had been born into had really helped Dahyun in taking care of the girl when she herself was completely drained.

 

"My head is pounding, and I am cramping so bad," Dahyun said, squeezing the bridge of her nose with the hand she wasn't using to hold on to the baby at her breast. "You know, I really didn't miss having a period these past nine months. Why do hormones have to make you feel like you're dying?"

 

"Why don't you go lay down?" Mina asked, looking to the younger girl with compassion in her eyes.  

 

"I've gotta put her down for a nap and then do some laundry.  Otherwise, I would be asleep already." Dahyun said, adjusting her shirt as she moved the baby to her shoulder. 

 

"Here," Mina walked over, placed a baby rag on her own shoulder, and reached to grab the nearly sleeping girl.  "Let me put her down for her nap. You go get some rest yourself. She needs her eomma at one hundred percent." 

 

"Are you sure, Mina-unnie? I couldn't ask you to do that." Dahyun said, watching as Mina took the little bundle from her arms.

 

"You didn't  _ask_ , I offered. The heating pack is in my room, go grab that and use it while you rest. I've got her." 

 

Dahyun let out a tired and thankful sigh. She stood up and placed a soft kiss on her daughter's head before heading to the bedroom. 

 

"Your silly eomma needs to learn to take care of herself," Mina said softly, sitting down to rock the baby. 

 

The little bundle fell asleep right away as Mina rocked her back and forth, quietly soothing her to sleep with a Japanese lullaby. 

...

 

_~ 3 weeks old ~_

 

Chaeyoung was the most easygoing of all of Haeun's aunties. She fell so easily into a schedule of spending time with her little niece, that honestly, it didn't seem like there was ever a time when the baby wasn't there. 

 

Dahyun entered the bedroom—drying her hair with a towel, post-shower—to see Chaeyoung sitting at her art table, drawing with one hand and holding the baby steady against her chest with the other. 

 

"She's been out for about five minutes. She fell asleep while I was sketching." Chaeyoung whispered, trying not to wake the girl. 

 

"Maybe she got bored," Dahyun whispered, teasing her younger sister. "You want me to take her?" 

 

"No, she's fine, unnie. I don't want her to wake up fussy anyways. Go have some time to yourself.  I'll let you know if she wakes up." Chaeyoung said, looking down at the picture she was sketching. 

 

Dahyun was probably most surprised at how good Chaeyoung was with Haeun. The normally exuberant strawberry princess was calm and collected as she held the 3 week old girl. 

 

Her daughter truly fit right in with the middle member of School Meal Club.

...

 

_~ 30 days old ~_

 

It was late one Sunday night when Dahyun was awakened by the quiet sobs of her youngest sister. 

 

Dahyun turned to see Tzuyu, sitting up in bed beside her, her eyes not moving from the sleeping bundle in the bassinet beside of the bed. 

 

"Tzuyu, what's wrong?" Dahyun asked, sitting up and turning on the small lamp beside her. "Is she up?"

 

"No, no she's fine. I didn't mean to wake you up." Tzuyu whispered, wiping her eyes.

 

"What's wrong Chewy?" Dahyun asked, resting her hand on the younger girl’s leg. 

 

"Nothing. Not really. I was just thinking," Tzuyu said, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you.  _Both of you_. You must have been so scared those first few months after you found out about her." 

 

"I was. But I made it through. And besides, you came around," Dahyun smiled. "You were there for us when it mattered most."

 

"I never even  _thought_  about what you must have been feeling. I spent so long being angry. At myself. At God. At  _her_ ," Tzuyu nods towards the sleeping baby. "I was heartbroken that she even existed. But look at her. She's just so perfect, unnie." 

 

Dahyun wiped Tzuyu's tears. 

 

"I spent so much time thinking about how I felt, how much I didn't want her to exist, that I never stopped to realize just how much I was going to love her." Tzuyu said, another quiet sob escaping. "I love her so much." 

 

Dahyun reached her arms around the taller girl, bringing her close and embracing her. 

 

"I know, Tzuyu-yah. She loves you too." Dahyun ran her hand across the younger girl's cheek. "We both do. We're family, remember? We're School Lunch Team until we die." 

 

They both sat in silence for around half an hour before Haeun began stirring awake. 

 

"She's hungry," Dahyun said, nodding towards her daughter. "And you need to get some sleep. You have a work schedule in the morning." 

 

Tzuyu picked up the younger girl and placed a kiss on her soft pink cheek before handing her to Dahyun. 

 

"Night Tzuyu-imo," Dahyun said, waving Haeun’s tiny hand at Tzuyu. "Sleep tight." 

 

"Goodnight unnie. Goodnight aga." 

...

 

_~ 8 weeks old ~_

 

"Who's Haeun-ah's favorite auntie?" Sana sing-songs to the content baby, who is currently laying in her lap. "Sana-Oba? I think so." She nods, smiling at the girl. "Haeun-ah is Sana-Oba's favorite girl. Yes, she is." 

 

Two milk chocolate monolid eyes blink curiously back at Sana, a tiny smile stretching across the little girl's face. 

 

Sana gasps, shocked at the adorable sight. 

 

"Did you just smile at me?" Sana smiles brightly towards the girl. 

 

Dahyun enters the room, happy to be back home after a two hour long session of songwriting with Chaeyoung in the downstairs office. 

 

"Dahyun-ah, you missed it," Sana says, elated. "She smiled at me!" She exclaims. 

 

Dahyun grins, walking over and sitting on the floor beside of Sana. 

 

"Kim Haeun," Dahyun starts in a mocking stern tone, as she looks over to her daughter, "did you smile at Sana-Oba when eomma wasn't here to see it?" 

 

A big gummy smile crossed the baby's face as soon as she recognized Dahyun's voice.

 

"There's eomma's smiley girl," Dahyun exclaims, picking up the girl from Sana's lap. Dahyun truly had missed the girl for every second of the two hours she was gone.

 

"She grinned at me," Sana says, "but her smile was nowhere near as big as it was when she heard you." 

 

Dahyun smiled, not looking away from the girl in her arms. "Well of course. Sana-Oba you are fun to play with when I need time with my aunties, but only eomma can fill up my hungry tummy." She says, pretending to speak for Haeun. 

 

Sana smiled. "She is already getting too big. Today was her first smile, before we know she will be taking her first steps, saying her first words, having her first boyfriend..." 

 

Haeun began quickly and happily nursing at her mother's breast as Dahyun chuckled her response. "Slow down unnie. She's eight weeks old, not eighteen years old." 

 

"I know, but time is already flying," Sana replied. 

 

Dahyun wanted to say something in rebuttal, but Sana wasn't wrong. In the two months since she was born, the girl had already changed so much. 

 

Time truly was flying. 

...

 

_~ 14 weeks old ~_

 

The nine members were diligently practicing in the dance studio, their center stage on the practice room floor marked by the happy baby, content in her carrier.

 

Nayeon's bad leg had been acting up, so somewhere in the middle of the routine, she fell on the floor—right in front of the baby—and immediately burst into laughter at her own mishap. The other eight members joined in as well, Nayeon's laugh a contagion in the room. 

 

Jeongyeon however, stopped when she heard a tiny but somehow familiar giggle. 

 

"Nabongs, fall down again." Jeongyeon urged, hoping to confirm her suspicion.

 

"Eh?" Nayeon asked, confused. 

 

"Trust me," Jeongyeon continued. "Do it again." 

 

Rolling her eyes, Nayeon obliged, throwing herself on the floor. 

 

The sound of a small chuckle filled the room. 

 

Wide smiles crossed all of the member's faces. 

 

"Haeun-ah," Dahyun walked to the middle of the room and sat directly in front of the carrier. Haeun stared back at her mother, her dark brown eyes lighting up as she recognized Dahyun's face. "Did silly Nayeon-imo make you laugh?" 

 

Jeongyeon chuckles, nudging Nayeon with her shoulder, "if she thinks clumsiness is funny she was born into the right family." 

...

 

_~ 3 months old ~_

 

It was late on a chilly Thursday in December when Nayeon finds Dahyun, sitting on the bed, rocking Haeun back and forth as she engaged in an emotional one-sided conversation.  

 

"...Eomma didn't know it yet, but you were already growing inside of me. I was so broken after what happened...it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I didn't know how I would ever be okay again...but then I found out about  _you_ ," Dahyun smiles down at the little bundle, who is snoring softly in her arms. "And you are the  _best_  thing that ever happened to me. No matter what." 

 

Dahyun looks out the window, watching the snow pile up outside, the flakes sticking to the cold ground below. 

 

"I loved you from the second I knew about you, aga." 

 

Nayeon quietly slipped into the room, making her presence known to Dahyun, but hoping not to wake the sleeping girl in her arms. 

 

Nayeon sat on the bed, putting a comforting hand on Dahyun's thigh. 

 

"It was today, wasn't it?" Nayeon whispers. 

 

"It was a year ago today," Dahyun confirms Nayeon's assumption, wiping a tear with her free hand. "I didn't realize at first, but then Momo mentioned how many days were left in the year, and I remembered. "

 

"Are you okay?" 

 

Dahyun pauses before answering.  "I'm okay. It's not something I like to think about, but I can't pretend it didn't happen either. I just worry about the future." 

 

A puzzled look crossed Nayeon's face, but before she could ask the question, Dahyun already began to respond. 

 

"One day she's gonna have questions. She's going to want to know why the other little kids have a daddy and she doesn't. I can tell her now because I know she won't remember..." Dahyun breathes in deeply before continuing. "...But how am I going to look at this little face and tell her that the only reason she exists is because I was raped?" 

 

The times when Dahyun mentioned what happened to her by name were far and few in between, so Nayeon knew it must have been heavy on her mind for her to say it now.

 

"When that day comes," Nayeon wraps her arms around the younger girl. "She will have eight aunties who will tell her all about how her eomma is the bravest person ever. How her eomma  _never once_  got mad at her because of how she was conceived. How her eomma loved her instantly, even though she was scared to death. I'll tell her how I watched you count her little fingers and toes  _at least_  a hundred times in the hospital because you just couldn't believe how perfect she was. And then, eventually, we'll tell her the truth in the best way she'll understand. That she doesn't have a father, but she has an eomma that loves her more than anyone else ever could." 

 

Haeun stirs against Dahyun's chest, adding an exclamation point to Nayeon's words. 

 

"She's the best thing I ever did, unnie." Dahyun gives Nayeon a teary smile. 

 

Nayeon smiles brightly, gently nudging Dahyun's arm. "She is pretty amazing." 

 

_~ 4 months old ~_

 

All 9 members of the group were in the living room of their apartment, chatting amongst themselves while trying to decide what to watch on television. 

 

Dahyun was rocking Haeun to sleep in her arms, the girl now well-fed and content for the night. 

 

"She is getting to where she sleeps through the night pretty much isn't she?" Jihyo asked.

 

Dahyun nodded in affirmation. "Mostly. She wakes up to nurse at about three o'clock, but then she is out like a light until morning. Sometimes she just won't sleep at all unless she's being held though." 

 

"I think you can blame Mina-unnie for that." Chaeyoung chimed in, throwing the older girl under the proverbial bus. "She never puts her down for her nap. She just holds her."

 

"Hey," Mina defends herself, "she is only gonna be this small once. One day she'll get tired of all of our cuddles, so I'm going to cherish every second." 

 

This answer seemed to deflate Chaeyoung slightly.  "Well I was just trying to pick on you, but now I'm just getting emotional." 

 

" _Aniya_ ," Sana said, shaking her head. "If she is as cuddly as the rest of us she'll never get tired of it." 

 

Dahyun smiled, watching as the little girl squirmed in her arms, rubbing her face with her tiny hands. "I just wish time would slow down." 

 

"Just think," Momo speaks up, looking up from her cell phone. "Soon she'll start doing more than just sleeping and eating. We can teach her to walk and talk. She's going to be so much more fun." 

 

This thought makes all nine girls smile. The best days truly were ahead. 

...

 

_~ 5 months old ~_

 

Jihyo was sprawled out on the floor, face to face with her tiny niece, who was at this moment very unhappy to be laying on her stomach. 

 

"I know, tummy time is no fun," Jihyo cooed, trying to appease the angry baby. "But you are getting great practice at holding your head up. We just have to stay like this for a few more minutes, and then Jihyo-imo will give you cuddles, okay?" 

 

The girl furrowed her tiny brow in frustration.  

 

Jihyo let a small chuckle escape at just how much Haeun resembled her mother in this moment. 

 

"She's mad at you isn't she?" Dahyun asked, walking into the room, a tall glass of chocolate milk in hand. 

 

Haeun heard her mother's voice and turned as quickly as she could towards it. This, of course, caused the girl to roll over on to her back.

 

"Did you see that?" Jihyo exclaimed. 

 

Dahyun set down her drink and crossed the room. "I did. Eomma has a little rolly polly now, huh?" She raised the pitch of her voice as she stood directly over Haeun. 

 

Haeun's chubby little hands anxiously reached upward, begging to be picked up by her mother. 

 

Unable to resist, Dahyun obliged. 

 

" _Spoiled_." Jihyo chuckled, getting out of the floor. 

 

"Hey, I'm not the only person in this house that spoils her." Dahyun laughed, playfully blowing raspberries on the tiny baby fingers that were currently being shoved into her mouth. 

 

"True," Jihyo replied, running her hand along the soft feathers of dark hair on the girl's head. "She's easy to spoil though. She's just too precious." 

 

Dahyun smiled, raising her eyebrows in an exaggerated motion. "She gets it from me." 

...

 

_~ 6 months old ~_

 

"She's not gonna like it," Dahyun laughed, watching as Momo offered a tiny spoonful of pureed avocado to the baby sitting in Dahyun's lap. 

 

"Eh?" Momo asked, almost offended at the thought. "Who doesn't like avocado?" She spooned the food into the baby's mouth, watching anxiously for the result. 

 

Haeun sat in thought for a brief second, before promptly spitting out the mashed avocado, making a mess from her chin to her bib. 

 

"Told you." Dahyun chuckled, cleaning the girl off with a baby wipe. "Since I'm breastfeeding her, the pediatrician said she might be a little picky when it comes to starting real food. She's just now six months old though, so she has plenty of time to get solids introduced to her diet."

 

"But how did you know she wouldn't like it?" Momo asked, puzzled at Dahyun's foresight. 

 

"I just knew. Eomma's intuition," Dahyun smiled, letting Momo stare in awe for a minute before quickly adding. "I'm totally kidding. I tried the avocado with her yesterday and she hated it." 

...

 

_~ 7 months old ~_

 

It was early one Wednesday morning when Jihyo found Dahyun on the floor of the bathroom, the shower running with hot water, causing the room to steam up. 

 

"Dahyun, is everything okay?" Jihyo whispered, shutting the door behind her as she came in.

 

Dahyun shushed Jihyo, trying not to wake the baby in her arms. "She's so congested." Dahyun looked down at the girl, who was thankfully still asleep. "She just fell back asleep about an hour ago. She was hungry, but she was having trouble nursing because she couldn't breathe through her little nose, and that just made her angry." 

 

Jihyo came and sat down beside Dahyun on the floor.

 

"I called the emergency room and they said to try steam, and that it was probably just from her bottom teeth coming in." Dahyun sighed, wishing she could do something to help her daughter feel better. "I'm still going to take her to the doctor once the sun comes up. Just to be sure."

 

Haeun stirred against Dahyun's chest, a soft whine escaping from her tiny mouth. 

 

"Shh, it's okay baby girl," Dahyun traced a finger lightly over the bridge of Haeun's nose, trying to calm her. "Eomma's right here." 

 

It seemed like yesterday that Jihyo had found Dahyun on the shower floor, a broken shell of who she was.

 

Now she was with Dahyun in the same bathroom, watching the younger girl take care of her daughter. 

 

It was strange to think about how much their lives had changed in such a short time. 

...

 

_~ 8 months old ~_

 

Im Nayeon loved babies. This was a fact everyone knew. However, her overall love for children was somehow eclipsed by her adoration of her little niece. Nayeon treated Haeun like she was the sun that warmed the earth. Currently, that little sun was frustrating Nayeon however, as she tried to coax her into crawling towards her. 

 

"Come on Haeun-ah. Come see Nayeon-imo." Nayeon sat in front of the girl, just out of reach. 

 

Haeun happily babbled nonsensical noises, giggling at Nayeon. 

 

"What? It's not funny. I'm trying to help you learn how to crawl here. Come on." Nayeon patted the ground, making an exaggerated crawling motion, much to the amusement of her niece. 

 

The little girl giggled again, her chuckle a near replica of her mother's laugh. 

 

"She thinks you're playing with her, unnie." Dahyun laughed, sitting down on the couch behind Nayeon. "Nayeon-imo is funny isn't she, baby?" Dahyun smiled at Haeun, the little girl's face lighting up at the attention. 

 

"She is a little ham is what she is," Nayeon said, sitting up, frustrated. 

 

"Does that surprise you at all?" Dahyun laughed, turning on the television set. 

 

A music video from their last comeback happened to be playing.

 

"Oh I can't watch this," Dahyun said, covering her eyes in embarrassment. "Somehow even my face looked pregnant. I don't know how they thought they were fooling anyone with just using close up shots." 

 

"How far along were you when we filmed this?" Nayeon scooped Haeun off of the ground and sat her between her legs, turning to watch the television.  

 

"Seven months. I was determined to do the dancing too, but they thought it would be too controversial. So instead I got these," Dahyun gestured to the closeup shot of her face on the screen as her rap breakdown began. 

 

Excited by the sound of her mother's voice, Haeun crawled from her position sitting against Nayeon, and went forward towards the TV. 

 

"Did you see that?!" Nayeon squealed, scaring even herself. 

 

Dahyun smiled from ear to ear, watching as Haeun sat entranced by her mother's face on the television.  "I guess she just needed the proper motivation."

...

 

_~ 9 months old ~_

 

It was a quiet night in the condominium, the members were all tired from a busy day of activities, so most everyone was asleep. 

 

Chaeyoung had just finished washing her face and putting in her retainer when she entered her and Dahyun's bedroom, expecting to see Dahyun fast asleep, enjoying her first night with Haeun sleeping in her own room. 

 

However, what she found was Dahyun sitting up in the bed, the blue glow of the baby monitor reflecting off of her horn-rimmed glasses. 

 

"Can't sleep?" Chaeyoung cuddled up, getting comfortable beside of Dahyun. 

 

"No," Dahyun whispered, her eyes not moving from the screen. 

 

"You miss her don't you?" 

 

Dahyun nodded, smiling sadly. "I'm afraid she's going to get up in the middle of the night and be scared because I'm not there. Or she's going to wake up and want to nurse, and I'm not going to hear her crying. Or—" 

 

"Unnie, slow down." Chaeyoung chuckled, taking the baby monitor from her older sister's hands. "She's gonna be okay and so are you. She's just across the hall, so you shouldn't even need the monitor to be able to hear her if she cries. But she sleeps through the night most of the time anyway, right?" 

 

Dahyun nodded. 

 

"Look," Chaeyoung continued pointing to the little screen, "she's getting lots of much needed rest. Her eomma needs to too, because she's going to wake up hungry and hyper, and you'll need your energy for both. Let's get some sleep." 

 

Dahyun forced a smile as she adjusted her glasses, swinging her legs off of the bed and letting her feet hit the cold hardwood beneath her. 

 

"You're going to go check on her one more time, aren't you?" Chaeyoung smiled, rolling her eyes. 

 

"Just for a few minutes," Dahyun said, walking out of the room and into the nursery. 

 

About fifteen minutes passed before Chaeyoung went to go see what was taking so long. She walked into the nursery to find Dahyun, dead asleep on the floor in front of the crib. Her hand was propped up in between the wooden slats of the crib, and Haeun was firmly grasping her mother's fingers. 

 

Chaeyoung shook her head, smiling. 

 

The next night, the crib was moved back into their bedroom.

...

 

_~ 10 months old ~_

 

"Come on, oh-ma, oh-ma, eomma." Dahyun coached Haeun, laying on the floor in front of her, making exaggerated motions with her mouth, trying her best to get the babbling baby to call her by her name. 

 

Haeun laughed, clapped, and giggled in response to Dahyun's attempts. 

 

"Come on, I know you can do it, agi-dubu. You make all kinds of noises, you can say my name." Dahyun leaned forward, grabbing one of Haeun's chubby little hands and using it to motion between the two of them. 

 

"Aga is Haeun-ah," she placed the little hand on the baby's chest, "I'm Eomma," she placed the little hand on her own face. "Now come on trouble maker, just try it for me.  _Eomma_."

 

"Joo...wee," a bright smile crossed Haeun's face. 

 

Dahyun sat puzzled for a brief second. She  _must_  have been hearing things. 

 

"Can you say it for me one more time? Eomma." 

 

"Joowee!" The girl babbled her response cheerfully. 

 

Dahyun heard a muffled laugh from behind her. She turned to see her youngest sister, standing shyly in the doorway, her dimpled smile lighting up the room. 

 

"You've got to be kidding me," Dahyun chuckled, amused and slightly annoyed. 

 

"Sorry," Tzuyu tried her best to hide her own pride in this moment, but it was to no avail as the room was once again filled with the sound of a tiny voice calling out her auntie's name. 

 

"Joowee!" Haeun continued, raising her hands to be picked up. 

 

Tzuyu walked over and picked Haeun up from the floor, blowing raspberries on her tummy, eliciting a cascade of giggles. 

 

"Kim Haeun," Dahyun stood up. "I carry you inside of me for almost nine months, give birth to you, feed you with my own body, and your first word is  _Chewy_? If I wasn't so proud, I would be hurt." Dahyun smiled. 

 

Haeun happily poked her little fingers into Tzuyu's dimples, giggling when Tzuyu would suddenly turn and grab her fingers with her mouth.

 

"Don't be upset, unnie," Tzuyu said, "she's getting close to being able to say your name. Watch this. 'Eunie, where's eomma?" 

 

Haeun pointed toward Dahyun with her whole hand, "eob...ababba" she babbled her best attempt at 'eomma', and Dahyun's eyes lit up.

 

"Alright, where's Haeun?" 

 

Haeun put her hand over her face, smiling.

 

"Okay, now where's Chewy-imo?" 

 

"Joowee!" The girl happily grabbed Tzuyu's face with both hands. 

 

"She started saying it yesterday," Tzuyu said shyly. "Don't be mad. I was trying to get her to say Eomma first." 

 

Dahyun smiled, her eyes teary. "How could I be mad, Chewy? My baby just said her first words."

 

"Soon we won't be able to get her to shut up." Tzuyu laughed, her own eyes misty. 

 

"I know," Dahyun's smile widened. "I can't wait."

...

 

_~ 11 months old ~_

 

If there was one thing that was consistently a thorn in Dahyun's side, it was the media. 

 

They would get bored of her for a few months, then run out of slander against other idols and turn back toward her. She was used to it at this point. 

 

But it was easier when it was just about her. 

 

Today's trending topics hit a nerve. 

 

Twice  member  secret love child 

 

Dahyun baby secret adoption 

 

Is Twice's Dahyun ashamed to have a child? 

 

Dahyun's baby daddy from another idol group? 

 

Dahyun tossed her phone to the other side of the room, watching as it landed softly on the couch. Honestly, at that moment she wouldn't have minded if it broke, except for the 500 plus pictures of Haeun she had saved on it. 

 

 _Ashamed_.

 

Dahyun felt her heart breaking at the very accusation of that.

 

Haeun's giggle pulled Dahyun from her thoughts, as she looked to see her daughter cruising along different surfaces in the room. She would be walking in no time, and Dahyun felt exhausted at just the thought of chasing around the energetic baby tofu.  

 

"Meeba!" Haeun called out as Mina walked into the room. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of all of her aunties names, and some of them sometimes came out a little scrambled.

 

"There's my aga!" Mina reached down to scoop the girl up in her arms. "How's Mina-oba's favorite girl? Are you getting into trouble?" 

 

"Always," Dahyun replied, forcing a smile. 

 

"Are you okay?" Mina asked, concern in her voice. 

 

"You saw we were trending didn't you?" 

 

A question for a question. 

 

Mina nodded, putting Haeun back on the floor and walking to sit beside of Dahyun.

 

"You just have to ignore them. It's always something with them." 

 

"I know." Dahyun sighed. "I just feel like I should say  _something_ , you know? I'm not ashamed of her, and I haven't been trying to hide her. I've been trying to  _protect_  her. But I guess that hasn't worked." 

 

"It's not your obligation to let them into her life, or yours for that matter. You're doing great with her." 

 

Dahyun nodded in agreement, but she still felt a lingering heaviness in her heart. 

...

 

Later that night, Dahyun was scrolling through pictures on her phone as Haeun snored lightly against her chest. 

 

Sana walked into the room, getting into the bed and cuddling up against Dahyun. 

 

"I saw you posted on Instagram," Sana whispered. 

 

Dahyun had posted a picture of the back of Haeun's head, while the girl was asleep on her shoulder. She simply wrote the caption, "Eomma's girl." 

 

"I don't know if I'll ever share our story with them, Sana," she began, running a comforting hand up and down Haeun's back. "Not all of it at least. But I don't want anyone thinking I'm ashamed of her, because I'm not. I got pregnant, yes. Was it a complete and total shock? Yes. Am I ashamed that I'm a single mom? Not for a second. Whatever happened to me, gave me her. And while I might not ever be ready to talk about what happened publically, I'll never be ashamed of her." 

 

Sana laid her head on Dahyun's free shoulder and wrapped her arms around the younger girl, "You're a good eomma, Dahyunie."

... 

 

_~ 12 months old ~_

 

It's happens on a bright and sunny day in the middle of August. 

 

Eight of the members were happily gathered in the living room, Dahyun holding Haeun in her lap, trying her best to keep the 12-month-old still. 

 

The attention of the room was captured as Jeongyeon walked in the room, birthday cake in hand, candles burning brightly. The nine members joined in, singing Happy Birthday to the tiniest and newest member of the group. 

 

Dahyun blew out the candles, as Haeun was still too young, and the room filled with cheers. Haeun started giggling and clapping her chubby little hands together gleefully. 

 

The group showered the one-year-old girl with gifts, though at her still young age she was more interested in the crinkling sounds of the noisy wrapping paper. 

 

Dahyun smiled from ear to ear as she fed Haeun her first bite of cake frosting. The little girl's eyes lit up brightly, pleasantly surprised at the sweet flavor. 

 

Momo and Sana, the playful aunties, proceeded to sit a large piece of cake in front of the girl, laughing to the point of tears as she smashed the cake between her fingers and all over her face until her inky feathers of hair were white and pink with sugary frosting. 

 

"I hope you guys know you just volunteered for bathtime duty," Dahyun said, her lips pursed in a tight smile. 

 

The older girls glanced at each other and smiled. 

 

Totally worth it.

 

Later that night, as the festivities ended, Dahyun sat on the couch, nursing a freshly bathed Haeun. 

 

"I can't believe she is a year old," Nayeon said, sitting beside the younger member. 

 

"Me either. In some ways, it doesn't seem real, and in some ways, I can't imagine a time when she wasn't here. Does that make any sense?" 

 

"Completely." Nayeon smiled. "Our episode of Music Bank is on in a few minutes, you want to watch?" 

 

The girls had pre-recorded their segment on the show with the knowledge that it was going to be Haeun's first birthday.

 

Dahyun had felt guilty at first, but the other eight members had insisted that they would much rather be spending this special time with their niece than on a comeback stage. 

 

Haeun had finished nursing and was now clumsily waddling around the living room, while all of the members gathered around to watch the television.

 

To the surprise of no one—except for the nine members—Twice's first comeback in over a year had won first place. 

 

As their song began playing on the show, Haeun waddled towards the television excitedly.  

 

Ending Fairy Dahyun showed up on the screen and the girl called out in excitement. "Eomma!" 

 

"Hey unnie," Chaeyoung nudged Dahyun's shoulder. "You know what just happened don't you?" 

 

Dahyun furrowed her brow in confusion. 

 

"She just saw her eomma perform on TV for the first time." 

 

This statement was enough to make Dahyun lose the smallest piece of composure she had left. 

 

Through teary eyes she watched her daughter clapping and babbling at the television while the encore of their comeback played. 

 

Once the program ended, they all settled down for the night. 

 

Haeun was snuggled up against Dahyun's chest, content and sleepy after her nighttime feed. 

 

The little girl looked up at Dahyun, her dark chocolate monolid eyes heavy with sleep. " _Eum-ag_?" She mumbled, using a word Dahyun was not aware that the girl had even learned yet. 

 

(She shouldn't have been surprised that one of the first words her daughter would learn on her own would be the word for music.)

 

Dahyun obliged, softly singing a lullaby to the girl in her arms. 

 

It wasn't that long ago she was in this same spot, seven months into her pregnancy, singing the same lullaby to Haeun in hopes that she would stop kicking and let her sleep. 

 

Tzuyu opened the door slowly and walked into the room, wordlessly slipping into the bed beside of Dahyun.

 

After Dahyun was sure the girl was asleep, she put Haeun in her crib and walked back to bed. 

 

"Unnie," Tzuyu whispered half asleep, cuddling up against her older sister. "In case I forget to say, you are a really great eomma. I'm glad we have Haeun-ah." 

 

"Thanks," Dahyun smiled, "I'm glad we have her too, Tzuyu-ah." She placed a small kiss on Tzuyu's forehead before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep. 

 

Dahyun wasn't sure if this was ever the path she would have chosen for her life, but she wouldn't trade her strange little family for the world. 

...


	3. Slice of Life

Dahyun had always thought of herself a fairly happy person, all things in her life being considered. Life wasn’t always perfect, but she never imagined that there could be a greater happiness in the world than performing on stage and going through life with her eight adopted sisters. 

 

Then out of the absolute darkest, most devastating time in her life, the brightest most beautiful thing came forth. 

 

_ Haeun _ . 

 

Dahyun loved that little girl with every fiber of her being. She would move heaven and earth to see those brown eyes—her own eyes in miniature form—squeeze shut when a gummy, toothless grin stretched across her little face. 

 

She didn’t have to do much to make her smile though. Haeun was a fairly content baby most of the time. She was still a baby though, and she had her moments where she was fussy—usually when she was hungry or tired—or clingy, upset unless she was being cuddled by someone—which was no surprise to Dahyun—but thankfully she had eight aunties who were head-over-heels in love with her, and more than willing to help take care of her. 

 

Dahyun never expected how incredibly special it would be to see her sisters taking care of her daughter, but watching them spending time, playing, and helping raise Haeun was a special piece of heaven that she wouldn’t trade for anything. Their relationships with the girl were all so incredibly different, and Dahyun loved to watch as their relationships evolved as Haeun grew.  

 

Nayeon was always great with kids, so it didn’t really surprise Dahyun that her oldest sister had been a natural when it came to taking care of Haeun. 

 

_ (The girl had been all of three months old when Nayeon took it upon herself to teach the girl how to blow a kiss. Obviously the girl was much too young to understand it, but that didn’t stop Nayeon from taking credit when the girl brought her tiny hand to her lips.  _

 

_ “She did it! Did you see that? Tell me someone saw that.” Nayeon had exclaimed, her sudden excitement causing the baby to cry. “Oh no, I’m sorry aga,” she cooed as she picked the girl up and snuggled her close. “Nayeon-imo was just excited.”  _

 

_ Dahyun walked into the room, instinctively drawn to Haeun’s tiny cries. “What’s wrong?”  _

 

_ “I startled her,” Nayeon pouted apologetically as she swayed back and forth, trying to calm the tiny bundle in her arms. “I got too excited and it scared her.” _

 

_ Dahyun crossed the room to stand beside Nayeon. She ran a comforting hand across Haeun’s cheek, gently shushing her cries.  _

 

_ “Nayeon-imo is loud sometimes, but she’s mostly harmless,” Dahyun said, softly. “So what was so exciting that you made her cry?”  _

 

_ Proud of herself, Nayeon smiled. “I totally got her to blow a kiss.”) _

 

Nayeon loved every second that she was able to spend with the girl, even if that simply meant that she was the person who tried to convince the very stubborn one-year-old to eat her mashed zucchini. 

 

“Come on dubs,” Nayeon pleaded, “I told your eomma that I would get you to eat, now don’t make a liar out of me.” 

 

Haeun turned her head forcefully, causing zucchini to go all over herself, her high-chair, and of course, Nayeon. Nayeon frowned, her lips jutting out in an exaggerated pout as she wiped her face off, causing her one-year-old audience to burst out in laughter. 

 

“Well I wasn’t trying to be funny, but I’m glad it amused you,” Nayeon smiled. 

 

“I think she just likes your aegyo, unnie,” Dahyun chuckled, standing in the doorway. 

 

“How long have you been watching this?” Nayeon asked, taking a damp cloth and wiping the food from the dark wisps of hair that covered Haeun’s head. 

 

“Long enough,” Dahyun laughed. 

 

“Well I’m glad that I could be amusing to the two of you,” Nayeon smiled. 

 

“Of course. We both love our Nayeon-imo. Isn’t that right, aga?” Dahyun walked over and picked the girl up out of her high chair. 

 

“Nay-mo!” The girl exclaimed, clapping her chubby hands together. 

 

“See ‘Naymo’, you are still the best, even if you can’t convince her to like zucchini.”  

 

“Next time I’m just going to do what Sana does and sneak her a piece of chocolate whenever she eats her food.” Nayeon grinned mischievously. 

 

“Bribing my child with chocolate…” Dahyun furrowed her brow in mock disapproval, “Respect.” 

…

 

Jeongyeon was a motherly type in the group from the beginning, even before there was anyone to mother. After Hauen was born, she was the one who was always willing to get up at three in the morning, just to rock the little girl who was desperate for attention. 

 

Dahyun had lost count of the times she had found Jeongyeon sitting in the nursery, holding the girl against her chest, softly singing her lullabies and keeping her content until it was time for Dahyun to nurse the girl and put her back to sleep. 

 

_ (“You know you are the cutest baby in the whole world, don’t you?” Jeongyeon had said, rocking the month old baby in her arms. “I don’t know what the nine of us would do without you.”  _

 

_ Jeongyeon looked over to see Dahyun fast asleep on the couch, her glasses still on her face, her hair disheveled, the sleeve of her shirt covered in spit up stains. Somehow, Jeongyeon still determined that she’d never seen Dahyun happier. _

 

_ “Your eomma is the greatest, too,” Jeongyeon whispered, “She was so brave for bringing you into this world, and she’s doing an awesome job being your eomma...But don’t tell her I said that, okay? I don’t want her thinking her unnie has gone soft, so that secret stays between us. Deal?”  _

 

_ Haeun stretched and yawned in response.  _

 

_ Jeongyeon smiled, reaching out a finger and letting Haeun reflexively grab on with her tiny hand. Jeongyeon had moved her finger up and down, simulating the world's tiniest handshake.  _

 

_  “Deal.”) _

 

Now, as the girl was getting older, Jeongyeon was able to spend more meaningful time with her as they bonded over a love for one thing. 

 

Building blocks. 

 

Jeongyeon held her own Legos dear—and wouldn’t dream of letting Haeun potentially choke by putting them in her mouth—but she happily helped the one-year-old stack the toddler appropriate  building blocks on top of each other, only to perform her now famous Godzilla routine. 

 

Haeun’s laughter was infectious, her amused and excited chuckles filling the nursery as Jeongyeon purposely knocked over the tower of blocks. 

 

“ _ Jeongjira _ ,” She exclaimed, walking stiff legged through the pile of blocks. “Jeongjira hungry,” She picked the girl up from the floor and unleashed a flurry of raspberries to Haeun’s exposed stomach.

 

“Wait, are you playing Godzilla or zombie?” Momo asked, watching intently from across the room as Jeongyeon played with Haeun. 

 

“She doesn’t know the difference, so I guess both?” Jeongyeon smiled, gently tossing the girl up in the air, another eruption of giggles escaping the tiny girl’s body. 

 

“Alright, count me in then,” Momo sighed, and then growled, walking stiff-legged through the blocks in the floor, deciding to join in on the fun.

…

 

Momo was a softy. She had been so nervous around Haeun from the beginning—being somewhat skittish after the girl’s rocky and sudden arrival into the world — but once she was comfortable with her, there was no separating the two. 

 

Momo’s favorite time with Haeun was always “dance practice.” Momo knew the girl was much too young to retain any of what the two of them did together, but she cherished every moment. 

 

_ (Months earlier, Dahyun had spent her day tirelessly tending to the needs of her very angry daughter, who was currently going through her first growth spurt. _

 

_ "Can I close my eyes here for just like a second?" Dahyun asked, sitting on the couch, running a hand through her dark locks of hair. She looked to Haeun, who was currently sleeping in her portable bassinet. "I just can't go on without a quick power nap." _

 

_ "Of course," Jeongyeon handed Dahyun a light blanket, "You sleep when she sleeps, right?"  _

 

_ Dahyun was all of three minutes into her power nap when Haeun began stirring awake.  _

 

_ Momo crossed the living room, hearing the tiny whines and grunts of the baby, and picked the girl up without hesitating, walking with her to another room in the condominium in hopes that Dahyun wouldn't wake up.  _

 

_ "Hey there," Momo looks down to the tiny girl in her arms. "You are having a hard time aren't you, aga?"  _

 

_ Momo walked across the room, and turned Pandora on on her laptop, gently singing along to the music while rocking the baby back and forth. _

 

_ Dahyun wakes up about 15 minutes later, and walks into the room to find Momo, swaying back and forth, slow dancing to the quiet music that filled the nursery. Haeun was curled up in a tiny bundle, asleep in Momo's arms. Her tiny face was scrunched up against the Momo's chest, her little pink lips puckered into a pout.  _

 

_ "What are you doing?" Dahyun whispered, wiping the sleep from her eyes.  _

 

_ "Shh," Momo's eyes didn't leave the tiny bundle laying on her chest. "We're dancing. Someone fell asleep during our slow dance." _

 

_ Dahyun smiled, leaning on the doorframe.  _

 

_ "You know it's a miracle you got her to sleep at all. She's been so fussy today."  _

 

_ "I know," Momo nodded, running her finger over the thin, dark feathers of hair on top of Haeun's head. "Dancing always makes me cheer up when I'm not feeling well, so I figured she'd be the same."  _

 

_ Haeun stirred against Momo's chest, rubbing her little face with her chubby fingers.  _

 

_ "Want me to try and put her down?" Dahyun asked, offering to relieve Momo of babysitting duty. _

 

_ Momo shook her head, "I think we'll just stay here and keep dancing. Just until she wakes up. If that's okay." _

 

_ "Yeah, of course," Dahyun replied. "I'm gonna go grab something to snack on. Let me know if you need me."  _

 

_ Momo lost track of time after that, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep in the rocking chair in the corner.  _

 

_ Dahyun walked in two hours later—when it was time for Haeun to nurse again—and couldn't help but smile at the sight of her daughter and her older sister, both snoring softly, mouths agape. She took Haeun from Momo's arms, and the older girl stirred slightly, not opening her eyes.  _

 

_ Dahyun bent over and placed a quick peck on Momo's cheek.  _

 

_ "Thanks for taking care of her, Momo-unnie."  _

 

_ "Haeunie'sagoodbaby." Momo smiled and nodded, still mostly asleep, "She's my new favorite dance partner.") _

 

Haeun was now thirteen months old, and more than happy to waddle around the practice room while Momo practiced her own dancing. The little girl bounced up and down to the music, giggling to herself as she tried to emulate her auntie. 

 

“Daebak,” Momo exclaimed, running over and sitting on the floor in front of the girl. “You can be lead dancer now. So talented.” Momo clapped and cheered, which caused Haeun to only bounce to the music with more passion.

 

When the music ended, the girl looked around the room confused, and then immediately sad, the corners of her mouth forming a tiny pout as she began to cry. 

 

“Hang on,” Momo stood up and ran to the computer to play another song. 

 

The girls face lit up when one of the group’s songs played through the speakers. “Eomma!” She exclaimed, recognizing her mother's voice instantly. 

 

Momo smiled, endlessly amused by her niece. 

 

These moments in the practice room were some of her favorite for sure.

…

 

Sana was the most affectionate member of the group from the very beginning. She was especially close to Dahyun, and by extension, she was now very close to Hauen. 

 

_ (“Are you okay?” Sana had asked upon her first time seeing Dahyun since Haeun had been born three hours earlier. Her first priority was checking on Dahyun, even before she had a chance to meet her niece.  _

 

_ “I’m good,” Dahyun smiled. She looked happy, but obviously exhausted. “I’m very sore, and I’m tired, but if she’s okay, I’m okay.” Dahyun looked down lovingly at the little pink bundle in her arms, “You ready to hold your niece?” Dahyun asked, looking to Sana. _

 

_ “Can I?” Sana asked, walking slowly to Dahyun’s bedside.  _

 

_ “Of course, unnie,” Dahyun repositioned the girl, carefully handing Hauen to Sana. “Watch her head, and hold her close to your chest.” Dahyun had coached, a total natural eomma.  _

 

_ “She’s so small,” Sana looked at Haeun’s little face, the girl’s big brown eyes blinking open at the sound of her voice. She knew those eyes instantly, and her heart instantly melted. She was already emotional, so she couldn’t help but cry. “She looks just like you, Dahyunie. She's just perfect.”  _

 

_ Dahyun wiped her own eyes, overcome with emotion for the millionth time that day.  _

 

_ “You made this,” Sana whispered in awe. “You made this little person. She’s...incredible.”  _

 

_ “It’s crazy right?” Dahyun smiled. “Just a few hours ago we were laying in your bed, counting her little kicks, and now she’s really  _ here _.  It doesn’t seem real yet.”  _

 

_ “Daebak,” Sana breathed. “I love her so much.”)   _

 

Haeun was now fourteen months old, and in a very clingy stage. Sana didn’t mind though, as she was always willing to give her baby niece extra cuddles and affection. 

 

Currently, the girl was nuzzled up against the nape of Sana’s neck, snoring softly as she was rocked back and forth. 

 

“Did she fall asleep?” Dahyun asked, walking into the room. 

 

Sana nodded, smiling with pride at her accomplishment in taming the fussy baby. 

 

“She didn’t take the bottle though,” Sana said apologetically. “She just kept knocking it out of my hand.”

 

“Stubborn girl,” Dahyun laughed. Her original intentions of weaning the girl after her first birthday were proving to be difficult as she absolutely refused to be bottle fed. “These days will pass soon enough I suppose.” 

 

“She’s out like a light though,” Sana replied, “Watch this.” Sana lifted the girl’s tiny hand from her shoulder and giggled softly as it fell limply back to its original position. "She's dead to the world." 

 

Dahyun smiled, walking over to place a kiss on both Haeun and Sana's heads. 

 

"You want me to take her or are you good?" 

 

"I'm good. She's so cuddly, I couldn't possibly put her down." Sana said, turning her head to kiss Haeun's cheek the best she could at the angle she was in. 

 

"She's a snuggler.” Dahyun said as she walked towards the door, “Clingy. Just like her Sana-oba." 

 

"You like it and you know it." Sana teased. 

 

Dahyun rolled her eyes, smiling. "Oh be quiet before you wake up my kid."

…

 

Jihyo was the leader of the group, so being a natural at taking care of the other members had came easily to her. In the early days after the attack, it had been Jihyo who Dahyun had confided in. In the beginning of Dahyun’s pregnancy, it had been Jihyo who was always looking out for her, making sure she had eaten enough and helping manage her morning sickness. 

 

When Haeun had finally been born, Jihyo had kept her focus on Dahyun, making sure that the younger member was eating, sleeping, and taking care of her own health first and foremost. 

 

_ (“You need to take care of yourself too,” Jihyo had reminded Dahyun, watching as the younger girl sat zombielike rocking the four-day-old baby. “You can’t take care of her if you aren’t taking care of yourself.” _

 

_ “I know, I know,” Dahyun had mumbled, her voice hiding none of her exhaustion. _

 

_ “Have you even slept since you’ve been home from the hospital?” Jihyo furrowed her brow in concern.  _

 

_ Dahyun looked side-to-side, as if she was going to find a better answer somewhere in the room. “I’ve dozed off when she sleeps, but she has to nurse like every hour, and if I fall asleep, I’m going to sleep like the dead, and I’m afraid I won’t wake up to feed her and she’ll be hungry, and not even a week in and I’m going to have her taken away for negligence or worse and _ _ — _ _ ”  _

 

_ Jihyo had placed a finger to Dahyun’s lips, stopping her in her spiral of irrationality.  _

 

_ “Give her to me.” Jihyo held out her hands, ready to receive the tiny pink bundle in her arms.  _

 

_ “Unnie, I—” _

 

_ “No. No arguing. I’m pulling rank here. Give me the baby, and go and take a nap in your own bed. The second she gets fussy I will come and wake you up. Go.”  _

 

_ Dahyun had relented, obeying the orders of her older sister, and the second her head hit the pillow, she was grateful that she had listened.)  _

 

Haeun was now a very rambunctious fourteen-month-old, her chubby little legs taking her as far and as fast as they could as Jihyo walked with the girl down the halls of the recording studio. When she couldn’t go as fast as she wanted without falling down, the girl proceeded to crawl full speed, making her way down the long corridor. 

 

“Haeun-ah,” Jihyo reached down and picked the girl up from the ground, smiling as the girl frowned at her.  “Don’t give me that look. Come on, let’s go and see if eomma and Chaeng-imo are done recording yet.” 

 

Jihyo walked with the girl into the production room, watching through the glass as Chaeyoung and Dahyun finished up their recording session. 

 

“Eomma! Chae-mo!” The girl exclaimed, nearly throwing herself out of Jihyo’s grasp as she lunged forward towards the soundproof glass. 

 

Dahyun caught a glimpse of Haeun and a wide grin crossed her face as she waved from inside of the recording booth. 

 

“Eomma!” 

 

“Eomma will be done in a minute kiddo,” Jihyo smiled, sitting down on the studio couch with the girl in her lap. “Let’s wait here and watch them until she gets done. They’ll be done soon.”

“Eomma soon?” The girl turned her head inquisitively, the curious scrunch in her brow an instant reminder of just how much she looked like Dahyun. 

 

“Yeah aga, soon.”

 

Content for the moment, the girl watched carefully as Dahyun finished recording. 

 

The second that the door to the recording booth opened, the girl wiggled out of Jihyo’s arms and ran to Dahyun, the tiny girl nearly knocking her mother to the ground in the process. 

 

“There’s eomma’s girl!” Dahyun wrapped her arms around Haeun, covering every inch of the girls chubby cheeks with kisses. “I missed you so much.” 

 

As the two of them embraced, Jihyo honestly wasn’t sure if it was Haeun or Dahyun who was more happy to be reunited. 

…

 

Mina was a natural with Haeun, much like Nayeon. However, where Nayeon was the fun, loud, and playful auntie, Mina was always there for the calm, quiet moments—she was the one most likely to volunteer to give the girl a bath or put her down for a nap—but she still had one vice that instantly brought out the more playful side of her. 

 

Video games. 

 

( _ Dahyun had been nearly eight months pregnant, miserable in the summer heat—though she'd never admit it—when she had waddled into the dorm to see Mina, sprawled out on the couch, excitedly playing one of her fighting games on the Playstation. _

 

_ "Mind if I watch? I’m so bored, and the unnies won’t let me do anything." Dahyun asked, pulling Mina out of her zone of concentration.   _

 

_ Mina didn't hesitate, she simply got into the floor, opening up a spot for Dahyun.  _

 

_ "I don't need the whole couch, Mina-unnie," Dahyun smiled, carefully lowering herself onto the couch, "I'm not  _ that _ huge."  _

 

_ Mina smiled shyly. "I just thought it'd be more comfortable."  _

 

_ "Unnie, I'm eight months pregnant. Nothing is comfortable," Dahyun laughed. "Now get back up here." _

 

_ Mina obliged, getting comfortable on the couch as she gently laid her head on Dahyun's bump. She played multiple rounds of the game, hot on a winning streak until her focus was broken by a small kick to her head. _

 

_ "Hey now," Mina laughed, turning to face Dahyun’s bump. "You're supposed to be rooting for Mina-Oba. Traitor."  _

 

_ "Sorry unnie," Dahyun chuckled. "I think she just wants a turn. Maybe when she's born you can teach her to play with you."  _

 

_ Mina smiled at the thought.) _

 

"And now I'm going to glide here and...boom! Shrine finished." Mina smiled proudly, balancing the fourteen-month-old in her lap as her hands were busy controlling the Nintendo Switch. 

 

"Horsey!" Haeun exclaimed, tapping her sticky little fingers on the screen. 

 

"Okay, okay," Mina laughed. "Let's go see the horses." While Mina preferred actually playing the game, the toddler in her lap was more interested in the various wildlife in the kingdom of Hyrule. 

 

"You two are just adorable, you know that right?" Sana said, watching the scene unfold from the other end of the living room. 

 

Mina smiled. As unexpected as this entire situation was—being an aunt this early in her life—she was truly grateful to have someone in the house who was just as excited about video games as she was. 

 

Even if the girl only cared about the animals. 

…

 

Chaeyoung was a constant in Dahyun’s life. Through everything that she had gone through—and now as she was raising her daughter—Chaeyoung had stayed the same, fun-loving, shoulder-to-cry-on sister that Dahyun was eternally grateful for. 

 

_ (It had only been a few days since Dahyun had found out about her pregnancy. She was beyond tired, but unable to sleep. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts and worries—some of which had been put to rest at the previous day’s doctor’s appointment—so she continued to stare into space, hoping that the hypnotic turn of the ceiling fan would eventually lull her to sleep.  _

 

_ Chaeyoung curled up against Dahyun in the bed, linking their fingers together. “How are you feeling?” She asked.  _

 

_ “Exhausted. Nauseous. Bloated,” Dahyun deadpanned, “So I’m good I guess.”  _

 

_ Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “That’s not quite what I was asking, unnie. Are you okay?” She repeated the question, knowing full well that Dahyun had been avoiding answering it the first time. _

 

_ Dahyun bit her lip, “I just feel so alone. I mean I guess I’m not ever alone anymore,” She gently put a hand on her still flat stomach. “I can’t describe it though. I just feel... _ alone,  _ Chaengie.” She repeated herself.  _

 

_ “You aren’t alone. I’m here,” Chaeyoung’s dimple showed as she grinned, leaning her head against Dahyun’s. “And I’m not going anywhere, so you’re stuck with me for life.”  _

 

_ “I’m okay with that,” Dahyun smiled, her vision blurring as tears welled up in her eyes. “Stupid pregnancy hormones.” She laughed bitterly.  _

 

_ “Hey, those stupid hormones are making sure I have a healthy, adorable niece or nephew growing in there,” Chaeyoung chuckled.  _

 

_ “I guess you’re right,” Dahyun sighed. “Some of this just doesn’t feel real yet. But then I look at this,” She pulls out the ultrasound photo that is still in her pocket, “And it’s like nothing else in this world is real except for this.”  _

 

_ Chaeyoung nodded, understanding the best she could.  _

 

_ A silence sat between them for a moment, before Dahyun speaks again.  _

 

_ “Would you have kept it? If it was you?”  _

 

_ Chaeyoung was thrown off balance by the question, but she answered as best she could. “I don’t think what I would have done really matters, Dah. I don’t know if I could do what you are doing though.”  _

 

_ “Do you think I made the right choice? Keeping the baby?”  _

 

_ “Can you imagine the alternative? If you had made another choice.”  _

 

_ Dahyun shook her head, her lips pursed in a hard line. “I really tried to. I feel like I shouldn’t want to keep it...but I just do...and I’m afraid everyone is going to treat me differently because I’m having a baby, or because of why I’m having a baby for that matter. I just feel like everything is going to change between all of us.”  _

 

_ “No,” Chaeyoung replied. “You’re still you, and that’s all that matters. We’ll always be family, no matter what we go through.”  _

 

_ Chaeyoung smiled again, and suddenly Dahyun didn’t feel so alone.) _

 

Chaeyoung was there for every worry, every question, even when she didn’t have a solution or answer, she stayed the same. Sometimes just having her around made things seem easier, and for that Dahyun was grateful. 

 

Chaeyoung couldn't believe how quickly time was passing. It seemed like just yesterday that Dahyun was bringing Haeun into the world. 

  
  


_ (“I still can’t believe this is happening,” Chaeyoung said, sitting on the hospital bed beside Dahyun. It had been almost nine hours since Dahyun had gone into labor. The other seven members had stepped out to get something to eat, and Chaeyoung had volunteered to stay with Dahyun and keep her company.  “She’s really going to be here.”  _

 

_ Dahyun smiled weakly, her face hiding none of her anxiety.  _

 

_ “Are you okay?” Chaeyoung asked, linking her fingers with Dahyun’s.  _

 

_ “I don’t know if I can do it, Chaengie,” Dahyun replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if I’m not good at being an eomma? What if I don’t love her enough? What if she doesn’t want me? I thought I could do this, but what if I was wrong? What if I screw everything up?”  _

 

_ “Of course you can do this, unnie,” Chaeyoung replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Dahyun’s ear. “She loves you already. You know how much she moves around when you talk to her, and how excited she gets when you play with her. The fact that you are worried about all of this means that you love her  _ more _ than enough. And there is no way on Earth that you’ll be a bad eomma.”  _

 

_ “How can you know that I—” Dahyun’s breath hitched as her question was cut off by a sudden wave of pain when another contraction hit.  _

 

_ “Shh, deep breaths unnie, you’re doing great,” Chaeyoung coached as she let Dahyun squeeze her hand for support. “This one’s almost over, just keep breathing.” _

 

_ When the contraction was over, Dahyun sighed, anxiously looking at the heart rate monitor beside her bed.  _

 

_ “And to answer your question,” Chaeyoung stated, “I know you are going to be an amazing eomma, because you already are an amazing eomma. Haeun-ah is a lucky baby.” _

 

_ Dahyun froze. “How did you know I picked a name? I hadn’t told anyone yet.”  _

 

_ “Unnie, we live in the same room and we share a bed most nights,” Chaeyoung smiled, running a hand through her hair. “You talk to her in your sleep.”) _

 

Chaeyoung was pulled from her thoughts by a tiny voice coming through the baby monitor. 

 

"Eomma?" 

 

Chaeyoung sighed, rolling over and checking the clock. 

 

It was barely a quarter past six. Haeun almost never was awake this early, so Dahyun was still dead asleep in the bed beside Chaeyoung. 

 

Chaeyoung got up, crossed the hall and walked into the fourteen-month-old’s nursery. 

 

"Eomma?" The girl whined, rubbing her sleepy eyes. 

 

"No, it's Chaengie-imo." Chaeyoung whispered, walking to pick the girl up from her crib. 

 

"Chae-mo." The girl cooed, sleepily nuzzling up against Chaeyoung's neck.

 

Chaeyoung changed Haeun's diaper and dressed her for the day before walking back to the bedroom with the girl in her arms. 

 

"Eomma!" Haeun shouted excitedly, her tiny voice gaining volume.

 

"Shh, Dubs, eomma is still sleeping," Chaeyoung whispered. "Let's be quiet and you can come snuggle with Chaengie-imo and eomma." 

 

Chaeyoung walked over and sat on the bed, placing Haeun between herself and Dahyun.

 

"Eomma," Haeun curled up against Dahyun's chest, placing a chubby hand on Dahyun's cheek.

 

"Haeunie," Chaeyoung chuckled, whispering. "I said we have to be quiet. You're just eomma's baby aren't you?"

 

"’Morning baby girl," Dahyun grinned, not opening her eyes. "What time is it Chae?" 

 

"Six thirty," Chaeyoung replied. "I tried to keep her quiet but she just wanted her eomma." 

 

"That's okay," Dahyun opened her eyes, wrapping her arms around the fourteen-month-old. "Thanks for getting her, Chaeyoung-imo." 

 

"Chae-mo!"

 

The girl cooed her auntie’s name, happily copying her mother, and in that moment, Chaeyoung was pretty sure that there wasn't a better sound in the world. 

…

 

The journey to becoming an aunt had been the most difficult for Tzuyu. Tzuyu was the youngest of the group, and everything that had happened to Dahyun had truly hit her the hardest. Once she finally opened up to Dahyun about her feelings of responsibility for everything that had happened, she was finally able to start healing. 

 

_ (“Tzu, come here,” Dahyun chuckled, as Tzuyu carefully slid into the bed beside of her, the much taller girl making herself as small as she could. “I’m still me okay? You aren’t going to hurt me, or her. Now come cuddle me like you normally would.”  _

 

_ Tzuyu smiled shyly, bringing herself closer.  _

 

_ “Unnie,” Tzuyu spoke up, the tension finally absent from her posture.  “Do you think it would be okay if I talked to her?” She asked, timidly nodding towards Dahyun’s bump.  _

 

_ “I think she’d like that,” Dahyun smiled, running a hand along the curve of her abdomen, feeling the precious movements beneath her fingers. “She usually falls asleep whenever Sana-unnie talks to her, but she gets crazy hyper for Momo-unnie and Nayeon-unnie.”  _

 

_ “I just want her to know who I am,” Tzuyu said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She couldn’t help but feel guilty at the thought that the baby was already familiar with the other members’ voices, but not her own. _

 

_ “She knows you, Tzu,” Dahyun smiled, “and she loves you already.”)  _

 

Tzuyu had been surprised at just how attached she was to Haeun. It was like as soon as she came to terms with the reality of Dahyun’s situation—and as soon as she had accepted that what happened wasn’t her fault—a switch had flipped inside of her, and where guilt had kept her at a distance, it was now what kept her close. 

 

_ (Tzuyu had been in the room when Haeun was born—watching awestruck as her sister brought this tiny perfect little life into the world—but she had been among the last of the members to hold the girl.  When she finally did get a chance to hold the tiny girl, she instantly fell in love, unable to look away at the girl’s perfect porcelain features.  _

 

_ “She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” Dahyun asked, proud.  _

 

_ “She’s amazing, unnie,” Tzuyu replied, looking at the girl in her arms. She ran a finger across the tiny bridge of Haeun’s nose. The girl’s lips began to quiver, suckling instinctively in her sleep, accentuating a feature that Tzuyu couldn’t help but notice.  _

 

_ A feature that Haeun did not get from her mother.  _

 

_ Dimples.  _

 

_ Tzuyu felt a pang of guilt rise in her chest as a memory of  _ him _ crossed her mind.  _

 

_ The charming bastard had flashed those same dimples a number of times on their first meeting. Tzuyu couldn’t help but feel sick as she remembered his face.  _

 

_ “She has dimples,” Tzuyu said, her quiet voice barely audible. _

 

_ “I know,” Dahyun smiled, “I noticed the first time I nursed her. They’re adorable.”  _

 

_ “Doesn’t it...bother you?” Tzuyu asked, not asking the question truly on her mind.  _

 

_ Dahyun understood what Tzuyu was asking though—”doesn’t it remind you of him?”  _

 

_ “No, it doesn’t,” Dahyun smiled. "I like to think she gets them from her Tzuyu-imo."  _

 

_ Tzuyu smiled sadly, honored and sad at the same time.  _

 

_ Haeun began stirring in Tzuyu's arms and she brought her over to Dahyun.  _

 

_ Dahyun took the girl and her she immediately calmed, comforted by the presence of her mother.   _

 

_ Tzuyu sat beside of Dahyun in the hospital bed, her eyes still focused on Haeun. _

 

_ "Tzu, I don't think about him. Not when I see her." Dahyun looked at the tiny girl curled up in her arms. "When I look at her I remember the first time I saw her and I think of the first time I heard her little heartbeat. I remember the first time I felt her kick, and the first time she kicked hard enough that you girls could feel it too,” Dahyun ran a finger across Haeun’s cheek, “I see her chubby little dubu cheeks and those beautiful brown eyes, and I remember that I made this perfect little human and I'm lucky enough to be her eomma. When I see her little dimples it reminds me of you and Chaengie, and it makes me glad that she's going to grow up being so loved by all of her aunties. Tzu, I see a lot of things when I look at her little face, but he isn't one of them. Not ever.”)  _

 

Tzuyu couldn’t help but remember how calm and quiet that the girl had been in those first days, in contrast to what she was in this current moment, as Tzuyu chased her around the dorm. Of course, if she wanted to, she could easily catch up to Haeun, but seeing the fourteen-month-old happily waddle around the dorm, convinced she was escaping, was worth the exhaustion. 

 

After a few minutes of chasing the girl around, Tzuyu finally caught up to her, scooping her up in her arms, attacking her tiny, chubby cheeks with a flurry of kisses. 

 

“Joowee,” Haeun laughed, her tiny hands grabbing Tzuyu’s face. 

 

“That’s Chewy- _ imo _ to you, Dubs,” Tzuyu smiled, and Haeun immediately poked her fingers into Tzuyu’s dimples.

 

Tzuyu shook her head, playfully escaping the girl’s grasp. Tzuyu moved the girl to her hip, freeing her other hand to poke Haeun’s dimpled cheeks. 

 

“Haeunie has dimples too,” Tzuyu smiled, kissing the girls cheeks. “Just like Chewy-imo.” 

 

“Joowee?” Haeun held a hand to her own cheek. 

 

Tzuyu’s smile widened. “Yeah aga, like Chewy.” 

 

Later that night, Haeun was fast asleep in Tzuyu’s arms, having happily been rocked to sleep after Dahyun had nursed her for the night. 

 

“You’re really great with her, you know that right?” Dahyun whispered, sitting on the floor in front of the rocking chair. 

 

“She’s exhausting,” Tzuyu stated matter-of-factly, “but she’s worth the trouble.” 

 

“She is,” Dahyun smiled, nodding her head in agreement. “I’m just glad I have you guys to help with her. I don’t know what we would do without you.” 

 

“You would be fine, I'm sure,” Tzuyu smiles, “You’re a great eomma, even without our help.” 

 

Dahyun knows Tzuyu is probably right. She probably would be able to still be an amazing mom to Haeun without the help of her 8 sisters. She could take care of her all on her own if she had to, but that was something she never wanted to imagine. 

 

Dahyun, her sisters and her daughter were truly the definition of a perfect 10, and Dahyun wouldn’t change a single thing about their crazy life. 

 

With the nine of them by her side, the future seemed brighter than it had in a very long time. 

 


	4. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 1: The Aftermath (TW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for some brief descriptions of the aftermath of a rape. It's not super graphic, but just wanted to be mindful of the potentially triggering subject.

 

The first few days after the assault were some of the hardest days that the group had faced. 

 

Dahyun was a shell of herself, not talking, not sleeping, not eating. 

 

Just  _ existing _ .

 

And barely existing at that. 

 

Jihyo—being the leader of the group—had taken it upon herself to take care of Dahyun, as she was the only person Dahyun had even spoken to since it happened.

 

_ (“You really should go to a doctor, just to get checked out.” Jihyo helped Dahyun out of the bathtub, moving to the sink to tend to some of her superficial wounds.  _

 

_ Jihyo had to ignore the bile building in her own throat as she disinfected and dressed the wound on Dahyun’s neck that appeared to be a bite mark. She tried to keep her mind distracted, but it seemed to only focus on one singular thought.  _

 

_ If she ever found  _ him _ she would kill him.  _

 

_ “No,” Dahyun said softly, breaking Jihyo’s concentration. Her voice was hoarse after crying for so long. “A doctor's office will have too many questions. I’ll be okay. I really just want to forget this ever happened.”  _

 

_ Jihyo’s lips had formed a hard line. She didn’t want to push the issue, but she was trying her best to help Dahyun.  _

 

_ “They’ll need to do a rape kit if you want to press charges after you report him.” _

 

_ Dahyun winced, looking around the room to keep from making eye contact after Jihyo had mentioned the assault by name.  _

 

Rape _.  _

 

_ She had been raped.  _

 

_ She had been raped and she wasn’t going to tell  _ anyone _.  _

 

_ “I’m not going to report him. I’m not going to press charges,” She whispered, standing up and looking at her freshly bandaged neck in the mirror.  _

 

_ “Dahyun-ah, he deserves to pay. You could destroy him. Destroy his career.”  _

 

_ “No,” Dahyun replied softly. “That’s not how these things go, and you know that as well as I do. More than likely he’ll destroy not just my career, but all of yours as well. I won’t risk that. Pressing charges isn’t going to make anything better.”  _

 

_ Jihyo had opened her mouth to argue, but quickly closed it back determining that Dahyun’s choice—whether she agreed with it or not—was the most important opinion. _

 

_ “Okay,” Jihyo conceded, “Lets go get you into some dry clothes.”) _

 

Currently, Dahyun was curled up in a ball in on Jihyo’s bed—the place she had stayed for the majority of the three days since the assault—unable to will herself to get up and go into the living room. 

 

Jihyo heard her moan softly, and walked to her side of the bed to check on her.

 

"Are you okay?" Jihyo immediately felt stupid for asking the question. 

 

Of course Dahyun wasn't okay. She'd been through hell. Unfortunately there wasn't a better way for her to ask the question. 

 

Dahyun winced, pursing her lips into a tight line as she drew into herself, holding her lower abdomen as she shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm sore," She said, embarrassed, unable to make eye contact as the words left her mouth. 

 

Jihyo nodded, walking out of the room for a twofold purpose—first, to grab some ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet, and second so that Dahyun didn't see the tears welling up in her eyes. 

 

When she composed herself, she returned to the bedroom with the pills, a glass of water, and a small plate of food. 

 

"These should help," Jihyo handed her the two capsules. "But you need to try and eat something. It's not good to take these on an empty stomach." 

 

Dahyun scrunched her eyebrows, her face contorting at the thought of food. 

 

Jihyo sat on the bed beside of Dahyun.  "I can't imagine how you feel right now, Dahyun-ah, but I do know you aren't in a place to take care of yourself right now, so just let me, okay? You need to eat  _ something _ ." 

 

Dahyun nodded, taking the sandwich from the plate and forcing herself to take a bite. 

 

"Thanks, unnie," Dahyun said softly. She leaned over to put up the plate and grab the glass of water from the side table, and Jihyo couldn't help but feel sick as she noticed the sickly colored green and purple handprint shaped bruises on Dahyun's hips as her shirt rode up. 

 

Jihyo closed her eyes, took a deep breath and composed herself. 

 

"I'm sorry that you're having to see me like this, Jihyo-unnie. I’m just not ready to be with the others yet. I just...don’t want them to look at me differently.” 

 

"They won’t," Jihyo gently tucked a strand of hair behind Dahyun's ear. "But take things at your own pace. And you don't have anything to be sorry for. I'm here for you. Whatever you need." 

 

"Unnie," Dahyun adjusted her position on the bed. "Could you maybe just...hold me for a while then? I'm so tired, but I don't want to fall asleep alone. Every time I close my eyes, I just see his face..." She trailed off, shuddering. 

 

Jihyo didn't even respond, she simply laid down in the bed beside the younger girl. She was careful to not move too quickly, letting Dahyun get comfortable against her at her own pace. 

 

15 minutes later, Jihyo feels as Dahyun finally relaxes in her arms. 

 

For the first time in the 72 hours since the assault, Dahyun sleeps.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 1 of 7 deleted scenes that take place in Chapter 1.


	5. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 2: The Aftermath II

_ "Are you going to keep it?" Nayeon had asked, a question that Dahyun had never anticipated having to answer.  _

_ "Yeah...Yeah I am,” Dahyun replied, “but I'm going to need to go to the doctor. I'll need vitamins and stuff to make sure the...to make sure everything is okay."  _

_ "Jeongyeon and Nayeon still need their flu shots." Jihyo chimed in, a plan forming in her mind. _

_ "Why are you bringing this up so suddenly?" Jeongyeon didn’t seem to understand what Jihyo was implying.   _

_ "Because she can go with you two without the managers getting suspicious." Jihyo replied. _

_ Dahyun nods. It's a good plan. _

_ It's just not one she ever thought she would be making. _

Anxiously, Dahyun picks up her cell phone and dials the number for the women’s clinic. The other members in the room couldn’t help but notice her trembling hands as she held the phone to her ear. 

Nayeon stretched out her fingers, covering Dahyun’s much smaller hand as she laced their fingers together. 

After a few minutes of being on hold—and after Jeongyeon took the phone and grilled the receptionist on the hospital’s patient confidentiality clauses—Dahyun’s appointment is finally made. 

After the rush of adrenaline is gone, Dahyun’s anxiety finally gets the best of her, and her porcelain skin goes a lighter shade of pale as she runs for the waste bin in the corner of the room, just in time to be sick. 

Once Dahyun is finished being sick, Jeongyeon walks over to take out the trash bag, hoping to solve what small problems she can.

“Sorry unnies,” Dahyun says with tears in her voice, mortified as she notices that there is sick on her shirt and in her hair. “I’m, uh gonna go shower.” 

The mood in the dorm is fairly quiet for the rest of the day, the members all still in shock from the morning’s revelation. 

Dahyun stays to herself for the majority of the day, her mind still reeling from everything that had happened. 

Two months ago—when her assault had taken place—her entire world had been shaken to its core, her foundation crumbled beneath her like a house made of sand. It had only been in the last few weeks that she was starting to feel like herself again. 

Now she had no idea what to feel at all. 

She was pregnant with a baby she had never imagined having. 

Not like this. 

She was confused, heartbroken, and utterly terrified. 

Her world had completely shifted on axis once again, and she didn’t know how to take the next steps forward.

Her mind cloudy, she tried her best to sleep, but only managed to toss and turn for an hour or so. 

“Chaengie, are you awake?” She whispered into the darkness of the room. 

The response she got was the soft snores of her younger sister. 

Dahyun smiled weakly, quietly sliding out of the bed and leaving the room, trying not to wake up Chaeyoung. 

Her bare feet padded against the cold hardwood floors as she made her way down the hall, gently rapping on the door at the end of the hall, before opening the door and walking in. 

“Hey,” Jeongyeon looked up from her phone, her bare face illuminated by the light of her cell phone. “You okay?” 

“I can’t sleep, and I…” Dahyun’s voice trails off, “I just don’t want to be alone right now. Can I come stay with you for a while?” 

Jeongyeon nodded, pulling down the duvet, opening up a spot for Dahyun to lay beside her. 

Dahyun crosses the room and curls up against Jeongyeon, clinging to the older girl like a scared child during a thunderstorm. She’s nearly silent, and if Jeongyeon hadn’t noticed the subtle change in Dahyun’s breathing, she wouldn’t have known that the girl was crying. 

“I’ve got you, Dah,” Jeongyeon pulled Dahyun closer to herself, rocking her gently back and forth. 

Jeongyeon knew she had no words of advice that could possibly make this situation better, so instead she lay there, letting Dahyun feel all of the emotions that she’d bottled up the entire day as she soaked her shirt with salty tears. 

“Unnie,” Dahyun sobs, unable to form an end to her sentence. 

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” Jeongyeon whispers, planting a kiss atop Dahyun’s head. 

After a few minutes, Momo walks into the bedroom. She doesn’t question Dahyun’s presence in her and Jeongyeon’s bed, she simply crawls into the bed and proceeds to sandwich Dahyun between Jeongyeon and herself. 

There was nothing Momo hated in this world more than seeing her little sister in this state. She hated that she couldn’t make her feel better, hated that she couldn’t take her place, couldn’t make her worries go away. 

Focusing instead on something she can fix, Momo begins running her fingers through Dahyun’s ashy brown locks of hair and begins to softly braid the younger girl’s hair. She takes the tie out of her own hair and puts it in Dahyun’s hair. 

“If you have morning sickness again, this will help keep your hair out of the way.” Momo says, finishing the braid. She places a light kiss on Dahyun’s cheek, before wrapping her arms around the girl.

The room is quiet for a while after this, until Dahyun speaks up. 

“I can get out of you guys’ bed if you need me to,” Dahyun’s teary whisper breaks the silence. 

The older sisters ignored the younger girl, snuggling her tighter between the two of them. 

“You don’t have to leave, Dahyunie.” Jeongyeon runs her hand over the top of Dahyun’s hair, careful not to undo Momo’s handiwork. “You can stay with us tonight. There’s plenty of room, as long as Momo doesn’t sprawl out like a starfish.” Jeongyeon jokes, trying to prod a smile out of the younger girl. 

The room grows quiet again, the only sound breaking the silence is the hum of the heater and the rhythmic breathing of the three girls. 

After a few moments Dahyun speaks up again, the tears on her ivory skin sparkling under the night lights that shined through the window. “Unnies...I’m really scared.”

She was scared of so much. 

Scared of what was happening. 

Scared of what she was feeling. 

Scared of the uncertain future. 

“You don’t have to be scared,” Momo whispered, holding the smaller girl tightly against herself. “You have all of us. It’s gonna be okay.” 

There are so many things that Dahyun wants to say, so many emotions running through her mind, and yet she can’t bring herself to express any of them. 

She chokes back a sob, and leans her head over on Jeongyeon’s chest. 

She breathes the only word she’s able to stay without breaking down completely. 

“ _ Saranghe _ .” 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 of 7


	6. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 3: Radio Station

It had been three days since those two little plastic tests had confirmed the group’s suspicions. Dahyun had tried to return to normal life as best she could, but her nausea was a constant and endlessly stressful reminder that she was most definitely pregnant. 

 

She hadn't gotten sick today—not yet at least—but she hadn't eaten either. The group had a radio show appearance scheduled, so the nine of them had piled into their van and headed to the radio station. 

 

Since the managers were there driving them to their event—and were still ignorant of Dahyun’s current situation—they couldn't talk freely, but the eight other girls couldn’t help but notice as Dahyun went a somehow lighter shade of pale. 

 

"You okay, unnie?" Chaeyoung asked, putting a hand on Dahyun's leg. 

 

Dahyun was unable to speak, for fear of more than words coming out of her mouth, so she nodded slightly. She closed her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths and trying to focus on the gentle hum of the van’s heater rather than the acid in her throat. 

 

The girls all winced at every bump in the road that the van hit, watching Dahyun cautiously, like she was some morning sickness time bomb. 

 

Once they parked, Dahyun was the first out of the van. She walked as fast as she could to the restroom at the back entrance of the building. Jihyo followed quickly behind her, trying not to draw attention to either of them. 

 

Dahyun barely made it to the bathroom as she wretched over the trash can in the front of the room. 

 

Jihyo didn't say a word, she simply took the hair tie out of her own hair and pulled back Dahyun's hair. She ran a comforting hand over the younger member's back as she continued to be sick. 

 

"Sorry...unnie," Dahyun choked out between heaves, her head still buried in the garbage bin. 

 

"Shh," Jihyo continued rubbing comforting circles across Dahyun’s back. "You don't have anything to apologize for." 

 

After there was nothing left for her to expel, Dahyun stood up straight, eyes watery. 

 

Jihyo grabbed a few paper towels from the dispenser, wet them in the sink, and handed them to Dahyun. "You okay now?" 

 

“Yeah,” Dahyun nodded, wiping her mouth. "Just embarrassed." 

 

A perplexed look crossed the older girls' face. "What are you talking about?'" 

 

"I was trying so hard to not get sick today. I even skipped breakfast," Dahyun said, walking to the sink to rinse her mouth and freshen up. “I thought it would help. Guess not.” Dahyun chuckled sadly.

 

"Dahyunie, it's okay," Jihyo looked around cautiously before whispering. "You're pregnant. Being sick is nothing to be embarrassed about." 

 

“Thanks, unnie,” a small smile reached the corner of Dahyun's lips as she looked herself over in the mirror. "I just hope I don't get sick on air." 

 

"That's why I picked these up before we left," Jihyo opened her purse to reveal a small pack of saltine crackers and a small tin of ginger flavored hard candies. "They're supposed to help with nausea." 

 

Dahyun happily reached in and grabbed the hard candies, popping two of them in her mouth. She closed her eyes, appreciating the warm, spiced ginger flavor. "I'm just ready for Friday to get here. To make sure everything is okay, you know?" 

 

Jihyo nodded. "For what it's worth, from what I read online they say that nausea is a good sign. Means your hormones are doing their job and  _ everyone _ "—Dahyun had yet to say the word "baby" so Jihyo chose her words cautiously—"is growing and healthy." 

 

Dahyun nodded, reassured.

 

"Thanks unnie, for everything," Dahyun straightened her outfit and headed towards the door. "Now I guess we have a show to record."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 of 7


	7. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 4: Mixed Emotions

It had been ten days since Dahyun had found out about her pregnancy, and almost a full week since she had gone to the doctor and seen the scans, the memory of those little fluttering heartbeats still playing back in her mind. 

 

She found it strange just how different everything seemed with this newfound knowledge that there was a tiny person growing inside of her. 

 

It was like her entire world had been turned upside down. 

 

Dahyun rolled out of the bed—Nayeon's bed this time—and hurried to the bathroom, just in time to be sick over the toilet. 

 

When she had finished getting sick, she grabbed a wet washcloth, wiped the corners of her lips and then quickly rinsed her mouth with mouthwash, fully awake at the tingle of the strong mint flavor.

 

This had became her morning ritual in the last few weeks. 

 

At first she hadn't understood why she was sick—attributing it to the anxiety attacks she had been suffering from since what had happened nearly three months earlier—but now that she understood, she simply accepted that it was her cross to bear for the time being.

 

Standing in front of the mirror, she took a moment to examine herself, pulling up her t-shirt and turning side to side, checking to see if she looked any different. Of course she didn’t, not really at least. She had only put on a few pounds—some of which she had lost in the months prior due to stress—but she couldn’t help but feel different after seeing the scans.   

 

Sheepishly, she allowed herself to place a hand on the soft, pale skin of her stomach, somewhat unsure in the unfamiliar action. It was like by putting her hand there—acknowledging the little life growing beneath her fingertips—that she was suddenly securing herself to this reality, and it scared her in so many wonderful ways.   

 

"Hey there," Dahyun whispered softly, hoping Nayeon stayed asleep. 

 

(She remembers reading somewhere that talking to plants helps them grow stronger and healthier, so it only made sense in her mind that talking to a growing human would do the same.) 

 

"I'm your eomma...um, I wasn't really expecting you to come into my life, not like this at least, but I hope you're growing well in there. I'm sorry that it's just me, but I'll take care of you the best I can, okay?  _ Saranghae _ ."

 

She turned to the side again, startled when she noticed Nayeon standing in the doorway, half-asleep. 

 

She quickly pulled her hand away from her stomach—like she had been caught doing something wrong—and makes herself dizzy when she moves too fast.   

 

“Unnie, how long have you been standing there?” She asked, grabbing a hair tie from beside the sink and pulling her hair into a messy bun. 

 

“Just got up,” Nayeon mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Noticed you weren’t in bed and thought you might be getting sick, so I came to check on you. If I interrupted something I can go.”

 

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m sorry,” Dahyun replied. 

 

"What are you sorry for?" Nayeon walks into the room and pushes herself up to sit on the sink counter. 

 

"I..." Dahyun looked around the room, pulling anxiously at her shirt. She didn’t have a good answer. "I don't know. I just felt like I needed to apologize."

 

"You were talking to the baby, weren't you?" Nayeon asked, and Dahyun is amazed how Nayeon says this like it’s no big deal.

 

Dahyun nods softly, somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed. 

 

"You do know that it's okay for you to be okay with this, right?" Nayeon said, picking up on the younger girls timid actions and trying to reassure her.

 

Dahyun feels tears welling up in her eyes. 

 

_ Stupid hormones.  _

 

"It's so strange," Dahyun’s furrowed her dark brows as she tried her best to answer while maintaining composure, "I've processed a lot of my feelings about what happened. Therapy has helped with that for sure. But this is so  _ confusing _ . I hate what happened. I hate  _ him _ and I hate what he did to me, and for so long now I wished that it never happened…" Dahyun bit her lip anxiously, her mouth still burning from the Listerine. "But as much as I feel those things about that, I think about what's happening  _ now _ and I don't feel angry about this. I don't wish this wasn't happening.  I feel like I should be upset but I'm just... _ not _ . Because apart from how I got pregnant, he has nothing to do with this. I don't feel sad about this. I mean I'm scared yeah, but I'm actually..." Dahyun trails off, unable to finish the rest of her thought.

 

“Happy?” Nayeon inquired, filling in the blanks. 

 

"I am," Dahyun can’t hold back any longer, and salty tears are now freely flowing down her cheeks as she nods enthusiastically.  "And I feel so guilty for being happy about this, unnie." 

 

Nayeon hops down off of the counter and pulls Dahyun into a bear hug. 

 

"You don't have to feel guilty for being happy. You're having a baby Dahyun-ah.  _ Your _ baby. That can be a happy thing if you want it to be." 

 

Dahyun buries her face in Nayeon's shoulder, sobs escaping as Nayeon runs a hand up and down her back.

 

“You guys aren’t mad at me for keeping the baby?”

 

Nayeon pulls away, making sure to make eye contact with Dahyun as she replies, holding the younger girl’s face in her hands. " _ Absolutely not _ . Why would you ever think that?" 

 

"I don't know. I just don't want to disappoint you all. I know this was never our plan. And I just couldn't stand to think you guys were disappointed in me, or that you guys wouldn't want the baby because of—" 

 

Nayeon puts a finger over Dahyun's lips, stopping her from spiraling further. "Plans change.” She replies, a toothy grin stretching across her face, “But we could never dream of being upset at you for this, Dahyunie. It’s all gonna be okay." 

 

Dahyun smiles, wrapping her arms around Nayeon again. 

 

“Besides,” Nayeon pulls away from the embrace. “You know how much we all love babies, and those are just random babies. This is  _ your _ baby,” Nayeon stretched her hand gently across Dahyun’s still flat stomach. “We are going to love this little bean sprout so much.”

 

Dahyun placed her hands on top of Nayeon’s, linking eyes with her. She didn’t have to say anything, but Nayeon understood. 

 

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast…” Nayeon turns to walk out of the room, "If food is safe to mention now."

 

"I already got sick, food is fine for now." Dahyun chuckled.

 

Dahyun walked out of the room, hand in hand with Nayeon, and for the moment, the future seemed a little less scary.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 of 7


	8. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 5: Fried Chicken

Mondays are always the single hardest day of the week. This was a simple fact. However, Mondays had to be exponentially harder when you were a single, pregnant, twenty-two year old pop idol—or at least that’s what Sana had figured—so she decided to make life a little easier on her younger sister, and pick up take-out for dinner. 

 

(Dahyun had mentioned a craving for fried chicken in her sleep last night—just as Sana had crawled into the bed—so she made sure to remember to bring home a bucket of Dahyun’s favorite brand after work.) 

 

“Dahyun-ah, I brought you a surprise,” Sana called out as she walked into the bedroom, bucket of chicken in hand.

 

Dahyun was laying on the bed, her swollen feet propped up on a pillow as she watched some foreign drama on Netflix that Sana couldn’t identify. 

 

“Thanks unnie,” Dahyun smiled, subtly covering her mouth and nose. “Do you think you could put it in the other room for now?”

 

Sana nodded, understanding. She left the room, setting the food far enough away that the smell wouldn’t travel, and returned to the room. “She making you sick today?” She asked, standing at the foot of the bed. 

 

Dahyun nodded, rolling her eyes. “I haven’t been able to keep anything down all day. She’s so active, everytime I eat, she winds up kicking me until I lose it.” 

 

“I wonder where she gets all of her energy from?” Sana asked rhetorically. “You really should try and eat again though. You need your strength so you both can be healthy.” 

 

“You sound like my eomma,” Dahyun laughed, repositioning herself on the bed to open a space for Sana to join her. 

 

“I know,” Sana replied, eyes wide, “That’s because your eomma warned us last time we talked.” 

 

_ (Dahyun had been happily videochatting with her mother on the day she had found out the baby’s gender. When an annoyed Dahyun had left the room to go to the bathroom—yet again—Dahyun’s mother took the opportunity to speak to the members who were still in the room—Sana and Chaeyoung.  _

 

_ “I know she’s an adult, and I know that she’s someone’s eomma now, but even if she’s having a baby, she’s still  _ my _ baby. I need you girls to take care of her for me, okay? She looks too skinny, make sure she’s eating enough. Make sure she props up her feet at night. My feet would swell when I was pregnant with both her and her brother. If she’s anything like me, hers will too. And…” The elder Kim’s list had gone on and on, and the girls had dutifully nodded, promising to take care of Dahyun.)      _

 

Sana climbed onto the bed, taking her place beside the younger girl. 

 

Sana was surprised when Dahyun let out a small whine. 

 

“What?” She asked, caught off guard by the younger girls whimper. 

 

“You smell like fried chicken,” Dahyun replied in an exaggerated pout. 

 

“I’m sorry, do I need to go shower before I come back?” Sana asked, starting to get off of the bed before Dahyun stopped her. 

 

“No, stay. You smell  _ good _ . She just won’t stop kicking.” Dahyun sighed, rolling her eyes as she rubbed her bump, hoping to calm her tiny passenger. “I’m glad she’s healthy and active, but I just want a moment’s peace.” 

 

Sana moved down halfway under the covers, waiting for a nod of consent before laying her head on Dahyun’s bump, cradling it with one of her hands.

 

“ _ Agi-dubu _ ,” Sana said, her voice stern but gentle, “you have to let your eomma eat so you can grow all cute and fat and squishy and healthy. Can you do that for Sana-oba?”

 

“Keep talking,” Dahyun smiled, absentmindedly running her fingers through Sana’s brown locks of hair. “She likes the sound of your voice.” 

 

Sana nodded, continuing to talk about many random topics—from the weather, to work, to random Japanese fairy tales that Dahyun couldn’t fully understand—engaging in a lively, but one-sided conversation for a good twenty minutes.    

 

“She’s asleep,” Dahyun sighed. “You can go get the chicken now,” she smiled. 

 

“How can you tell she’s asleep? I could still feel her moving around in there.” Sana wondered, quietly moving from her spot on the bed. 

 

“Her kicks get softer when she’s sleeping,” Dahyun smiled, running a loving hand along her convex midsection. “She’s much calmer too.”

 

"I wonder what she's dreaming about," Sana mused, walking toward the door. 

 

"From what I've read online, she just dreams about sensations and feelings that she already knows. So she probably dreams about the sound of my voice or the rhythm of my heartbeat, and the feeling of being warm, safe, and happy."

 

_ "Gwiyeoweo."  _ Sana exclaimed, leaving the room _. _

 

A minute later, and Sana returned with the bucket of fried chicken in hand. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to microwave it. Your eomma said you needed to avoid microwaved foods, so I didn’t know.” Sana sat back down on the bed, handing the food to Dahyun. 

 

Dahyun smiled, rolling her eyes. “She worries way too much.” Dahyun took a bite of the lukewarm chicken, and immediately threw her head back in pleasure. 

 

“Daebak,” Dahyun mouthed. “This is amazing. Thank you unnie.” 

 

The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes, the both of them having their share of the chicken. 

 

Finally, Dahyun broke the silence. 

 

“Can I ask you something Sana-unnie?” 

 

“Of course,” Sana replied, “What is it?” 

 

“Has Tzuyu been acting strange lately?” Dahyun asked, moving into a more comfortable position on the bed. 

 

“What do you mean strange?” Sana inquired.

 

“I don’t know. I just…” Dahyun stopped, trying to keep herself from getting emotional. “I just feel like she’s been avoiding me. I’ve asked her to come to my last two appointments so she can see the ultrasound, and she always says she can’t. She never spends time with me and Chaengie anymore. I just feel like she’s mad at me for something.” 

 

Sana truthfully hadn’t noticed any change in the youngest members’ behavior until Dahyun had mentioned it. 

 

“I don’t know, Dahyunie,” Sana replied. “Maybe you should ask her.” 

 

“I’ve tried,” Dahyun said softly, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. “It’s like she can’t stand to be around me. She just  _ disappears _ .” 

 

Sana reached up and wiped away Dahyun’s tears.

 

“Unnie, I don’t know what to do. I just really miss her.” Dahyun leaned her head over on Sana’s shoulder. “I’m going through so much right now, and I just want her to be a part of it too, you know?” 

 

Sana turned, placing a kiss on Dahyun’s forehead. 

 

“Just give her time,” Sana said, linking her fingers with Dahyun’s. “She’ll come around.”

 

“I hope so.” Dahyun said softly. “I’m sorry I’m an emotional wreck.” 

 

“Don’t be sorry. Everything is going to work out fine, I promise.” Sana smiled, hoping with everything in her that what she just said would be true. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 of 7


	9. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 6: Dakkochi Adventure

The July/August rain season in South Korea had hit hard and fast. The air was thick and hot, and the humidity was next to unbearable. The rain had been constant for six straight days, but finally the sun had shown itself, peeking out from behind the heavy curtain of clouds. 

 

Most members of the group had individual schedules—Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung had spent most of the day in the studio, while Momo, Sana, Mina and Tzuyu were at an event representing the foreign members of the group—but Dahyun had stayed behind at the dorm. 

 

She had just entered her eighth month of pregnancy, and she was having a difficult time staying on her feet for any length of time. The thought of being hounded by Dispatch and various paparazzi as soon as she stepped out of the house was not exactly enticing her to get out and face the world outside of the condominium.   

 

The company had done a good enough job of protecting her privacy the best they could, but they couldn’t stop everyone. 

 

Jeongyeon, ever the worried unnie, decided to leave the studio early, wanting to check on the younger member, making sure she wasn’t alone at the dorm for too long. She walked inside, pulling her hair back into a sweaty ponytail. "Hey, it’s me,” She called out, surprised to see the front room empty. “You still here, Dahyunie?" 

 

"I'm back here!" A familiar voice called out from the bedroom at the end of the hall. 

 

Jeongyeon made her way to the room, opening the door to find Dahyun, sitting teary eyed in front of the circulating fan. 

 

"Hey unnie," Dahyun said, quickly wiping her eyes and forcing a smile. “How was recording?”

 

"What's wrong?" Jeongyeon asked, ignoring Dahyun’s question and sitting beside her on the bed. 

 

"You're going to laugh at me." Dahyun replied, hoping that Jeongyeon would leave the issue alone.

 

"No," Jeongyeon said, "just tell me. I promise I won't laugh."

 

"It's stupid," Dahyun sighed, warm tears running down her cheek despite her best efforts to maintain composure. "It's probably just hormones. It's not a big deal. I’ll be okay, I promise, unnie."

 

"If it matters to you it isn't stupid. Just tell me Dahyunie," Jeongyeon says, linking her fingers with Dahyun’s. 

 

"Eomma and appa sent me a picture from their trip," Dahyun answered—her parents were away on a two week vacation to Bangkok. "And it made me start craving chicken skewers." 

 

Jeongyeon stifled a chuckle. 

 

"I told you you would laugh." Dahyun said, pushing Jeongyeon’s arm with force. 

 

"I’m sorry. I’m not laughing because it’s stupid, I promise," Jeongyeon replied in defense. "It's just that we can call Momo and have them pick some up on their way home from their event today. I’ve never seen you cry over a craving before though," Jeongyeon’s smile widened as she tried to lighten the mood.

 

"I mean, I  _ know _ that they can pick up food for me," Dahyun rolled her eyes. "It’s not that. It’s just...I can't go out and get them for myself. Not without everyone staring and taking pictures. I'm the biggest scandal in Korean pop music, didn't you know? I just want to be able to go out, stand in line and get a fresh, hot, chicken skewer from a street vendor without it being a trending topic." 

 

"Who cares if it’s a trending topic?" Jeongyeon replied. "Ignore all of that. Let's go. Me and you." 

 

"Very funny, unnie," Dahyun forced a smile, but there was still an underlying sadness in her tone. 

 

"I'm not kidding," Jeongyeon stands up, holding her hand out to help Dahyun get up from her seated position. "Come on, I'll drive. JeongDah chicken skewer adventure."

 

...

 

The streets weren’t terribly busy on this Friday afternoon, and Jeongyeon and Dahyun were both thankful for that. 

 

Unfortunately, the heat was still an issue. 

 

"It's nice to see the sun out at least," Dahyun noted as she pulled her dark locks of hair into a messy bun. "It would be a lot nicer without having to carry all of this around." She gestured to herself, resting a hand on her bump. 

 

"Just think though," Jeongyeon walked along side of Dahyun, linking arms with the younger girl. "When she's older we can have pool parties for her birthday. She’ll love it. I always wanted to have a summer birthday." 

 

(Throwing birthday parties for her daughter. 

 

That concept somehow didn’t seem real yet, even though it was quite obvious that she didn’t have much longer before the girl made her way into the world.)

 

"I hadn't even thought about birthday parties." Dahyun sighed, leaning her head on Jeongyeon's arm as they walked down the street. 

 

When they finally made it to the food district, Jeongyeon couldn't help but notice the familiar clicking sound of cameras shuttering around them.

 

"Ignore them," Jeongyeon said, noticing Dahyun shrink slightly, trying to make herself less of an easy target for their photos. "We are here on a mission, remember? Eye on the prize, Dubu." 

 

Dahyun smiled slightly, a protective hand lingering over her abdomen. 

 

Jeongyeon hated seeing how distressed Dahyun looked, knowing that people were speculating and talking about a deeply personal situation that they knew nothing about, especially because Dahyun had been quite the ham in front of the camera before the assault happened. 

 

Making a statement, Jeongyeon squatted down in front of the younger girl, placing both hands on either side of the bump. 

 

"You are very popular, you know?" She wasn't expecting an answer of course, but she started a conversation nonetheless. She looked up to Dahyun, "Let them take pictures. I'm not ashamed of spending time with my sister and my niece." She placed a quick kiss on the stretched fabric of Dahyun's t-shirt and stood back up. "Now then, I believe we have some skewers to eat." 

 

The two of them walked arm and arm to the street vendors stand. 

 

"Two dakkochi please." The delicious smell of grilled chicken was almost overwhelming as Jeongyeon handed the woman payment. 

 

The tiny, older woman handed them back three skewers, smiling. 

 

"Oh, we only ordered two." Dahyun held up her finger in a V shape. 

 

"Yes, I know. The third one is for a growing baby." The women's kind smile reached the edges of her cheeks, her eyes almost disappearing in a squint.

 

" _ Kamsahamnida _ ." The two of them bowed in thanks as they walked away from the stand.

 

Dahyun took a bite of the meat, laughing as the sauce managed to make its way across her chin. 

 

" _ Daebak _ ," a small moan of pleasure escaped her mouth, before it turned into a small groan of pain. She placed her free hand on her bump, rubbing comforting circles. 

 

"What's wrong? Don't tell me she doesn't like the chicken?" A cheeky grin crossed Jeongyeon's face. 

 

"Mm-mm." Dahyun shook her head back and forth, exhaling. "Contraction."

 

Jeongyeon's eyes must have turned big as dinner plates, because Dahyun quickly amended her statement.

 

"They aren't real contractions, just Braxton Hicks. Don't worry unnie, she has to stay put at least until me and Momo finish choreographing for the single." Dahyun chuckled, taking another large bite of the chicken. "She really does like the chicken though. It’s exactly what we were wanting. We should get a few more for the ride home."

 

Jeongyeon smiled, obliging as she walked back to the food cart, money in hand. 

 

After this, they went home, sweaty, tired, and very much satisfied. It was safe to say that JeongDah’s chicken skewer adventure was a success.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6 of 7


	10. Chapter 1 - Deleted Scene 7: Stormy Nights

The wind howled outside, a late summer storm in full force on this Tuesday night. Dahyun paced the floor of the nursery, both her hands placed supportively on the small of her back as she tried to alleviate the pain that was currently keeping her from being able to sleep. 

 

A sudden clap of thunder filled the room, and Dahyun couldn’t help but chuckle when she felt the baby jump, startled at the loud noise.  

“Shh, it’s okay, we're okay,” She said, her voice calm as she moved one of her hands to run across her midsection. “It’s just a little thunder. If you would stop wiggling around and go to sleep it wouldn’t startle you.” 

 

She continued to walk back and forth, hoping the waves of pain that were now radiating from her low back to her hips would eventually cease. 

 

“You’re really going to love it here,” She mused, looking at the freshly painted walls that were covered in Chaeyoung’s art. 

 

Bright pink and yellow flowers, happy bumblebees and butterflies lined the walls, while the ceiling was a soft blue color, powdered white with clouds. 

 

“Chaengie did a great job in here,” Dahyun smiled, noticing a familiar looking puppy that had been painted on the corner of one of the walls. “It looks like Chewy helped too.”

 

“Did the storm wake you up?” Mina’s soft voice interrupted the silence in the room. 

 

“No,” Dahyun sighed, her tired eyes hiding none of her exhaustion. “I haven’t even been asleep yet. My back is killing me, and she can’t seem to get comfortable either.” 

 

“I think she’s just running out of room,” Mina showed a gummy smile as she crossed the room, placing a hand atop of Dahyun’s bump. 

 

“Well she’s going to have to get used to being cramped, because she has to stay put in there for at least three more wee—” Dahyun’s voice trailed off, caught off guard by a contraction.

 

“Contraction?” Mina asked, glancing at the time on her cell phone. 

 

“Mmhmm.” Dahyun nodded, breathing in and out, waiting for the contraction to pass. 

 

“Have you been timing them?” Mina asked, concerned.

 

Dahyun nodded again, breathing a sigh of relief when the wave of tension was over. 

 

“They aren’t regular. Just strong tonight,” Dahyun yawned, rubbing her eyes. “I just wish she’d let me sleep. Everytime I lay down it feels like she pushes her tiny little toes into my spine.” 

 

“Want me to give you a back rub?” Mina offered. 

 

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that, unnie. It’s almost two in the morning, you need your sleep.” 

 

“So do you,” Mina replied, taking Dahyun by the hand. “Come on.”

 

The thunder continued to rumble as the two girls made their way to Mina’s bedroom. Mina let Dahyun find a comfortable position—on her side with a body pillow between her legs, cradling her bump—and then crawled into the bed behind her. 

 

“Thank you, unnie.” Dahyun mumbled as Mina gently kneaded the muscles of the younger girl’s lower back. 

 

A few minutes into the massage, the low roar of thunder was accompanied by the soft, and much needed, snores of the younger girl. 

 

Mina smiled, curling up against Dahyun, lacing her arm through Dahyun’s arm to rest her hand on Dahyun’s stomach. 

 

“Now you let your eomma stay asleep, okay?” Mina whispered, feeling the baby shifting around beneath the palm of her hand. “You need your sleep too, little one.” Mina yawned, closing her eyes, eventually succumbing to sleep, serenaded by the early August rain.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7 of 7


	11. Snapshots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this crazy depressing world we're living in, we all need more fluff. Stay safe Onces!

#####  **Nayeon**

 

_ Most people would be asleep at five o'clock in the morning—sneaking in those last precious moments of sleep before waking up to face the day—but not Nayeon.  _

 

_ Not  _ today _.  _

 

_ Nayeon looked over to the hospital bed where Dahyun currently sat, slightly reclined as she cradled the tiny pink bundle in her arms, instinctively running a finger down the bridge of Haeun's tiny button nose, then repeatedly counting ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes as her own heavy eyelids began to fall. _

 

_ "Dahyunie," Nayeon whispered, "You need to try and get a little bit of rest. You've almost been awake for…” Nayeon glanced at the time on her phone, “ _ over _ twenty-four hours."  _

 

_ "I just don't want her to be afraid or lonely," Dahyun replied, her gaze still not moving from the tiny sleeping girl in her arms. "She's never been asleep away from me, unnie. What if she needs me?"  _

 

_ "She won't be lonely," Nayeon smiled, her bunny-like teeth showing brightly, "I'm not going anywhere, and she's literally going to be six inches from you. What she needs is for you to sleep. You just had a baby, Dahyun."  _

 

_ Dahyun sleepily nodded in hesitant agreement, placing a tiny kiss on Haeun's forehead, taking in the indescribably sweet, milky scent of her downy feathers of hair before placing her in the plastic bassinet beside the bed.  _

 

_ Dahyun was fast asleep in no time.  _

 

_ Nayeon continued to stay awake though, pushing through her exhaustion to watch over her sister and her tiny niece.  _

 

_ It's almost six o'clock in the morning when a familiar face walks through the door.  _

 

_ The elder Mrs. Kim stood, a sort of regretful but happy look on her face.  _

 

_ Nayeon caught the older woman's attention, alerting her that the two younger girls in the room were fast asleep.  _

 

_ "Is she okay?" The older woman whispered.  _

 

_ She was supposed to have been here—here to hold her daughter's hand and help her as she became a mother—and she had been fully prepared to move into the dorm for the last two weeks of Dahyun's pregnancy. However, her granddaughter had been as much of an unpredictable troublemaker as Dahyun had been as a child, and had decided to come three and a half weeks early.  _

 

_ "She’s great. They both are. She pushed for an hour and a half, no pain meds, no complications. She was a total rockstar. Six pounds, eleven ounces. Baby is the healthiest premature baby the doctor has ever delivered," Nayeon whispered, filling Mrs. Kim on what she has missed. "She was born about,” Nayeon glanced up at the clock above the door frame, “five hours ago."  _

 

_ Mrs. Kim looked at Nayeon with teary eyes, "Was someone holding her hand?"  _

 

_ "I didn't let go for a second," Nayeon nodded reassuringly. “She did so good.” _

 

_ The older woman crossed the room, glancing at the tiny bundle in the bassinet before walking over to see her own twenty-two year old baby, her hair still matted with sweat, her monolid eyes closed gently.  _

 

_ Her daughter was a  _ survivor _.  _

 

_ Her daughter was a  _ mother _.  _

 

_ But in this moment all that the older woman could see was the little girl that she used to hold in her arms.  _

 

_ "Eomma, I had a baby," Dahyun mumbled, still mostly asleep. "She's so  _ pretty _ , eomma. She's perfect. My  _ Haeun _."  _

 

_ "Shh," Mrs. Kim gently ran a finger down the bridge of Dahyun's nose, before placing a kiss on her messy, jet black mop of hair. "Go back to sleep baby girl, you did a good job today. You can introduce me to her soon. I'll still be here when you wake up."  _

 

_ The older woman crossed the room again, sitting in the chair beside of Nayeon, who was doing her best to get comfortable in the maroon colored vinyl recliner. _

 

_ "You know you can go home and sleep in a real bed? We'll keep an eye on them." _

__

_ "That's okay. I promised her I would stay, so I'm staying," Nayeon replied. "It's the only way I could convince her to sleep"  _

 

_ "We're glad she has you, Nayeon. All of you." _

 

_ Nayeon smiled.  _

 

_ "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." _

_ … _

 

It’s four o’clock on a Monday afternoon when justice finally comes. The details of his arrest are plastered across every new network. 

 

_ Agency executive arrested after multiple sexual assault allegations.  _

 

_ Agency exec admits to ‘relations’ with multiple trainees, including a 14 year old Taiwanese girl. Claims acts were “immoral, but always consensual.”  _

 

Dahyun felt the blood in her veins run ice cold as she saw  _ his _ face—a face she’d only seen in her nightmares since the assault.  

 

“You don’t need to watch this,” Nayeon said, walking to grab the remote. 

 

“Don’t,” Dahyun replied, as she protectively held the baby at her breast a little bit closer, a subconscious instinct.  “I have to see this, unnie. I need to know.” 

 

Nayeon sat beside Dahyun on the couch in silent support, running a comforting hand across the younger member’s back. 

 

Haeun was sleepily nursing as Dahyun watched the television, tears streaming down her face as she listened to reports and allegations that she had no doubt were true. 

 

“You could come forward too, you know,” Nayeon suggests softly, “If you wanted to. We would stand with you.” 

 

“I know. It wouldn’t change anything though,” Dahyun replies, running her fingers across the soft feathers of jet black hair atop her daughters head. “And it’s not just me I have to think about. She’ll be old enough to understand eventually, and I don’t want her finding out like that…” Nayeon watched as Dahyun’s posture changed slightly, her maternal protective instincts in full force, “And I won’t let him find out about her. She’s  _ my _ daughter, not his. He doesn’t get to know she exists.” 

 

Haeun whines softly in her sleep, an exclamation point to Dahyun’s statement. 

 

Nayeon nods, understanding. She doesn’t know what else to say, so she simply sits there, a comforting presence for her younger sister. 

 

After a few minutes—once the news has finally gone off and the image of his face has disappeared—Dahyun speaks up again. 

 

“I just hope those girls have someone they can talk to,” Dahyun sighs, leaning against Nayeon while moving Haeun to rest on her shoulder. “One of them was only fourteen, unnie.” 

 

Nayeon knows why this particular girl hit a sore spot most of all. 

 

Dahyun not only saw a reflection of what happened to herself, but she also saw Tzuyu, and that thought hit entirely too close to home. 

 

“I know,” Nayeon replied, reaching a hand out to rub the top of Haeun’s head, a small contented sigh escaping from the babies lips. “I hope so too.” 

 

“Unnie,” Dahyun begins, unsure how to form her feelings into words. “Thank you.” 

 

“For what?” 

 

“You guys were here for me the entire time, before I could talk about what happened, before I was  _ myself _ again, before I knew about her,” Dahyun ran a hand across the sleeping baby’s back. “And you were here for me after I found out about her, you took care of me. You girls were my rock, and my safe space, and...just... _ gomowayo _ .” 

 

“We’d do it again in a heartbeat, Dah. You know that, right?” Nayeon replied, teary-eyed. “That’s what family’s for.” 

 

#####  **Jeongyeon**

 

_ The late July sun seemed to be angry as the sun rained down in the peak of the day, making it hard to be outside of any length of time.  _

 

_ Thankfully, Dahyun was currently inside, clad only in shorts and a tank top as she lounged on Jeongyeon and Momo's bed, her shirt rolled up exposing the pale flesh of her very prominent bump.  _

 

_ "Daebak," Jeongyeon chuckled as they watched the baby's movements, amazed at how visible they now were from the outside. “This is crazy.” _

 

_ “I know,” Dahyun smiled, running a hand across her eight-month bump. "It feels even weirder from the inside," _

 

_ "Agi," Jeongyeon sing-songed, trying to get the baby's attention as she laid her head next to Dahyun's midsection, playfully—and gently—poking her stomach to get the attention of her unborn niece, giggling when the baby kicked and stretched in reaction. "Agi, are you awake?" _

 

_ "Jeong-imo is such a meanie, isn't she?" Dahyun chuckled, watching as Jeongyeon continued to play with the baby. “She won’t let you sleep, huh?”  _

 

_ "Momo-yah, come look," Jeongyeon called out, noticing Momo as she walked past the doorway.  _

 

_ Momo turned around, walked into the room and sat on the bed opposite of Jeongyeon, sandwiching Dahyun in the middle.  _

 

_ "Watch this," Jeongyeon smiled, running her fingers across Dahyun's stomach before gently prodding one particular spot—which Dahyun had earlier confirmed was a tiny foot pushing against her side— watching as the baby jumped and kicked in response.  _

 

_ "Don't poke her," Momo said protectively, a small pout crossing her lips.  _

 

_ "She's okay, Momo-unnie. Come here," Dahyun smiled, grabbing Momo's hand and using it to nudge another spot on her stomach—an elbow this time—allowing Momo to observe the baby's very hyperactive movements. "She's in a playful mood. Jeongyeon does this with her in the mornings sometimes. Jihyo-unnie likes to do it too."  _

 

_ "She's almost out of room. It looks like she's gonna kick right through you." Momo laughed.  _

 

_ "Feels like that too sometimes." Dahyun smiled. "She still has to keep growing though. Four more weeks."  _

 

_ Oblivious to the conversation going on around her, Jeongyeon continued to play with her unborn niece, utterly captivated at every one of her very obvious movements. _

 

_ (A few months prior, Jeongyeon had actually been the first of the members to feel the baby move.  _

 

_ Dahyun was a few days short of being at the halfway mark—20 weeks—and was still quite shy about her pregnancy, still struggling in her futile attempt to hide her ever growing bump, even to the point of being shy around the managers, despite the fact they all knew her condition.  _

 

_ “Unnie,” Jeongyeon heard a quiet voice catch her attention from across the living room, “Come here.”  _

 

_ Jeongyeon crossed the room, walking to check on the younger member. “Is everything okay?”  _

 

_ “Shh,” Dahyun held a finger to her lips, shushing the older girl. She held out her hand, taking Jeongyeon’s hand and gently placing it on the curve of her stomach. “Feel,” Dahyun whispered, waiting, hoping that the tiny movements she felt were finally able to be felt from the outside.  _

 

_ Jeongyeon felt the tiny flutters under her fingertips, her eyes widening in shock. “Is that her?”  _

 

_ Dahyun shyly nodded, a small smile stretching across her face, her teeth barely peeking through the separation of her lips. “That’s her, unnie.” _

 

_ “Daebak,” Jeongyeon breathed, in awe of the magical, tiny kicks. "Hi baby.") _

 

_ Jeongyeon smiled. Somehow those memories seemed so long ago, even though they were only a few short months past. The one thing Jeongyeon knew for certain was that she couldn’t wait to finally hold the little girl in her arms.  _

_ … _

 

Jeongyeon loved spending time with Haeun, and was more than willing to babysit her niece any time that Dahyun had a work schedule. The nearly three year old little tofu baby was always full of energy, but she was also well behaved most days, and surprisingly quiet. 

 

Thus Jeongyeon was caught completely off guard when she heard a sudden, startling  _ crash  _ during what was supposed to be naptime, followed by the sound of a familiar cry filling the dorm. 

 

Jeongyeon ran towards the sound, recognizing where it came from immediately.  

 

"Haeun-ah, what are you doing?!" Jeongyeon ran into her and Momo’s bedroom, immediately noticing the crying toddler, surrounded by the wreckage of what used to be Jeongyeon's Lego Hogwarts set. "You okay, kiddo?" Jeongyeon rushed over, scooping the tiny girl up in her arms, intently looking her over for any damage. 

 

Looking up into Jeongyeon’s eyes, Haeun burst into tears again, burying her face into her auntie’s neck. 

 

"Shh, it’s okay," Jeongyeon cooed, running a hand down the tiny girl's back, "Just tell Jeong-imo what's wrong. Are you hurt?" 

 

"Jeongie, mad." Haeun sniffled, using her limited vocabulary to try her best at expressing her feelings. "’Eunie, bad." 

 

"No," Jeongyeon looked at Haeun's teary, monolid eyes, her heart breaking at the pitiful sight. "'Eunie isn't bad. And I'm not  _ mad _ . You  _ scared _ Jeong-imo," Jeongyeon planted her lips on Haeun's tiny cheek, wiping away tears with a kiss. "I was afraid you were hurt. What were you doing in here anyways? You were supposed to be napping," Jeongyeon questioned, her tone light as to not alarm the already upset girl any further. 

 

Sniffling, the girl used her whole hand to point to the pile of Legos that now covered the bedroom floor.

 

"Blocks?" 

 

Jeongyeon chuckled, now understanding what the girl’s intentions had been.  She ruffled the messy waves of black hair on Haeun's head, “Yeah agi, we can play blocks." Jeongyeon smiled, sitting down on the floor, with Haeun in her lap.  

 

The two of them happily made a Lego creation that was assuredly  _ not _ Hogwarts, and Jeongyeon couldn’t help but smile as the girl looked back at her with a familiar gummy smile, proudly beaming at the mess of blocks that was supposedly a castle. 

 

“Daebak,” Jeongyeon’s jaw fell agape, in awe and wonder at the most impressive Lego creation ever made. “Let’s put it on my special shelf, and we can show your eomma when she gets home from work.” 

 

“ _ Jira _ ?” Haeun asked, a mischievous, dimpled smile crossing her face.  

 

Jeongyeon laughed, rolling her eyes. “Okay,” She stood up, immediately playing along with the three-year old’s favorite game, kicking her feet through the wreckage of blocks that remained in the floor. “ _ Jeongjira _ !”

 

Jeongyeon happily laughed along, sufficiently pleased that she’d turned the tiny girls tears into laughter once again. 

 

#####  **Momo**

 

_ Momo sat on the couch, happily watching one of her favorite Pixar movies while scrolling through Instagram on her phone, making sure to save all of the cute baby toys, nursery decorations and anything she thought Dahyun might find interesting. Momo was excited to be an aunt. Elated even. She knew the entire situation was unfortunate, unplanned, and incredibly unexpected, but she was already head over heels for this little girl she had yet to meet.  _

 

_ Dahyun was ready to be a mom. Anxious to hold this tiny little creature in her arms, to look into her precious little face and see this perfect person she'd been growing for the past eight months. In this moment, however, she was just ready to be able to walk ten feet without her feet swelling or her back aching.  _

 

_ Momo seemed to notice the younger member’s discomfort and urged her to come sit in her lap.  _

 

_ "Momo-unnie," Dahyun groaned, embarrassed. "I'm huge. I'm gonna break your leg, and then the group will be short two members next month."  _

 

_ Momo rolled her eyes, gently pulling the younger girl forward and into her lap, where she could gently rub the small of her back.  _

 

_ "You aren't  _ that _ heavy, you know?" Momo cupped her other hand around Dahyun's bump, affectionately rubbing tiny rhythmic circles. "She is growing a lot though." _

 

_ "She's running out of room," Dahyun smiled, placing her hand atop Momo's hand on her stomach, before wistfully sighing, "One month left."  _

 

_ "She was very active last night," Momo leaned her head against Dahyun's back as she continued feeling the tiny movements beneath her fingers. _

 

_ "She was," Dahyun replied, smiling. "I think part of that is because her Momo-oba kept her up by talking to her, though."  _

 

_ "Sorry," Momo shrunk away slightly, guilty. "I just didn't want her to be lonely if she was the only one awake."  _

 

_ “It's okay, unnie,” Dahyun chuckled. “I'm glad she'll always have someone to talk to. One of these days it'll be  _ her _ talking  _ your _ ear off."  _

 

_ A cheesy grin crossed Momo's face, before she gently craned her neck to place a tiny kiss on Dahyun's cheek, "I can't wait." _

_ … _

 

Momo was fairly certain that this was her favorite moment of her entire life. Cuddled up on the couch, holding her niece in her arms as she watched Monsters Inc. The moment may have seemed small to anyone else, but to Momo it was  _ everything _ . 

 

“Mo-ba,” The two and a half year old tofu baby broke the silence, her small voice wavering slightly, before she began sniffling. 

 

“Haeun-ah, what’s wrong?” Momo inquired, repositioning the girl in her lap. 

 

“Bad,” Haeun pointed to the television screen, which currently showed a particularly frightening—at least by the standards of a toddler—scene in the movie.

 

“It’s okay, Randall isn’t that scary,” Momo smiled, wiping a stray tear from the girl's chubby little cheek. “Do you want Momo-oba to hold you until he’s off the screen?”

 

Haeun didn’t say a word in response, rather she clung to Momo like her life depended on it, burying her face in Momo’s neck. 

 

Momo smiled, running a comforting hand across the girls’ back, quietly reciting the words of the movie under her breath—as this was surely the thousandth time she’d seen the film herself—hoping that Haeun wasn’t too scared of the purple lizard on the screen. 

 

As the movie came to an end, Momo couldn’t help but notice how heavy that the girl had become in her arms.  She turned her head the best she could to check on the girl, not the least bit surprised when she saw Haeun fast asleep, a tiny contented sigh escaping the girl’s lips as Momo repositioned herself. 

 

Momo couldn’t help but be reminded how fast that time was flying by, how quickly her tiny niece was growing up. 

 

At this moment however, Momo only saw the same squishy faced baby that Dahyun had brought home from the hospital, all soft and pink and so very  _ loud _ . 

 

Momo wasn’t sure how many more times she would have like this—her niece finding comfort in her embrace, feeling safe enough to allow herself to fall asleep even in a moment she was frightened—so she was content to let it last for as long as it could.   

 

#####  **Sana**

 

_...Blood.  _

 

_ She’d never seen so much blood before. She clutched her stomach, pain radiating through her body as a feeling of utter emptiness overtook her…. _

 

_ Dahyun woke in a cold sweat. She glanced over at the LED lights on the clock that flashed the current time, and slid out of the bed, careful not to wake Chaeyoung, who was sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room. She walked through the dorm, making her way to the bathroom. She washed her tearstained face, and smoothed her t-shirt over top of her bump, letting her fingers linger there along the curve of it for a brief reassuring moment.  _

 

_ Still there.  _

 

Safe _.  _

 

_ She shuddered, the images from her nightmare still lingering.  _

 

_ Quietly she walked to Jihyo and Sana’s room, and slipped into the bed beside Sana.  _

 

_ Sana turned over, awakened by the younger girl's appearance in her bed.  _

 

_ “Youokay?” Sana sleepily mumbled, her eyes barely open.  _

 

_ “Nightmare.” Dahyun whispered, her voice shaky as she pulled the covers over herself.  _

 

_ “Was it him again?” Sana asked cautiously, more awake now as she propped herself up on her arm.  _

 

_ (Nightmares had been a common occurrence when Dahyun had initially been recovering from her assault, so Sana was no stranger to Dahyun crawling into her bed, just needing to be held by her sister, assured that it was only a dream.)  _

 

_ “No,” Dahyun replied, “I…I lost the baby,” Her voice was small, like she was afraid if she said the words, they would suddenly be true. "It felt so real." _

 

_ “C’mere.” Sana pulled Dahyun close to herself, “It was just a dream. It wasn't real. Agi’s still in there.” Sana gently rubbed Dahyun’s bump as she snuggled up against her. "Do you want me to go get you a glass of water or a snack or something?"  _

 

_ "No, I'm okay, unnie," Dahyun replied, her voice still quiet.  _

 

_ "Hang on," Sana stood up and crossed the room, grabbing her glasses and unplugging her cell phone. She left the room for a brief moment before returning with a small glass of water—one that Dahyun finished in a matter of seconds despite insisting she wasn’t thirsty—the light from her cell phone still illuminating the room.  _

 

_ Sana turned her phone and pointed it towards Dahyun, revealing a bright, cartoonish picture of a cute and happy looking assortment of vegetables—a cucumber, a sweet potato and a bell pepper.  _

 

_ "She's eighteen weeks, right?" Sana asked, already aware that she was correct. "So according to these apps, she's the size of one of these...maybe a little smaller though seeing as her eomma is so short."  _

 

_ Dahyun glared—somewhat playfully, somewhat annoyed—at Sana.  _

 

_ Sana smiled, removing her glasses and sliding back into her big spoon position, hand gently resting along the curve of Dahyun's stomach. "She is still growing in there, and she's healthy, and she's happy. She needs you to get some sleep though,” Sana placed a quick kiss on the back of Dahyun’s head before closing her eyes.  _

_ … _

 

_ The seven o’clock rays of sun shone through the window, signaling that the day had finally broke, the anxiety of the night finally past.  _

 

_ “Mmm,” Sana whined happily as she wrapped her arms tighter around Dahyun, snuggling the younger girl closer to herself.  _

 

_ “Unnie,” Dahyun mumbled, voice still gravely from just waking up, “You’re squishing me.”  _

 

_ “I can’t help it. You are so fluffy.” Sana sleepily giggled, burying her face in Dahyun’s shoulder. “Like a little dubu teddy bear.” _

 

_ “I know,” Dahyun sighed, exasperated. “I’m really not looking forward to weighing in this morning. It seems like I’m gaining consistently every few days now.”  _

 

_ “Isn’t that good though?” Sana asked, lazily drawing circles across Dahyun’s tiny baby bump. “Means agi-dubu is growing.”  _

 

_ “It is, I know,” Dahyun sighed, “It’s still not easy though, especially when I've had to worry about staying in shape for so long.” _

 

_ “Well, just think of it as being for her,” Sana replied, hoping to ease the younger girls’ anxiety. “It’s not for forever, she just needs a soft, squishy home to grow and be healthy in.”  _

 

_ Dahyun smiled, drawing herself closer to Sana. “You keep saying ‘she’. We still don’t know if she's a she, you know?”    _

 

_ “Sana-oba knows,” Sana giggled. “That’s my niece in there. And when she is finally here, I’m not ever gonna stop cuddling her.”  _

 

_ “I think I’ll have to hold her some too, Sana-unnie,” Dahyun laughed, amused at Sana’s excitement. “I mean seeing as she is  _ my _ baby.”  _

 

_ “You called her ‘she.’” Sana’s smile widened _

 

_ Dahyun rolled her eyes, feeling slightly caught.  “Okay, so  _ maybe _ I have a feeling, but I don’t care either way. As long as agi is healthy, I really don’t care what it is.”  _

 

_ “She’s a girl,” Sana replied, “Just wait, you’ll see.” _

…

 

It was just past midnight when Sana opened her eyes, a sort of sixth sense alerting her to the tiny cries coming from the crib in the next room. Dahyun was still asleep beside her, so Sana rolled out of the bed, and walked across the hallway to the next room. 

 

“Shh, it’s just a dream,” Sana walked to the crib, picking the fifteen-month old up and allowing her to cuddle into the nape of her neck, teary eyes and snotty nose soaking the collar of Sana’s shirt. “Sana-oba’s here. It was just a bad dream, you’re safe. I’ve got you.” 

 

Sana walked to the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery, hoping to calm the girl before bringing her into the other room, allowing Dahyun to sleep a little longer. 

 

Tiny little fingers sleepily twirled through Sana’s hair, as Sana rocked the girl back and forth. Eventually the girl's cries ceased, content to just be held and rocked by her auntie. 

 

Sana stood up, still holding the girl in her arms, and crossed the hall and entered the bedroom, placing Haeun in the bed between herself and Dahyun. 

 

When morning came, Sana was awakened by the familiar feeling of tiny brown eyes staring at her, only inches from her face. 

 

“Oba,” Haeun exclaimed. Tiny hands found their way to squish Sana’s cheeks and slobbery lips came soon after. “ _ Ppoppo, ppoppo _ .”

 

“Oh, you want  _ ppoppo _ huh?” Sana chuckled, her voice still gravely with sleep, turning and kissing her niece’s chubby tofu cheeks, eliciting giggles from the girl. "I'll show you  _ ppoppo ppoppo _ ." 

 

As soon as Dahyun sat up in the bed however, Haeun's attention was immediately elsewhere, anxious to start her daily routine,  " _ Eomma _ , _ moyu _ ." 

 

“Someone has turned her into an affection monster,” Dahyun laughed, adjusting her shirt as Haeun snuggled up against her chest.

 

“It’s not my fault,” Sana pouted. “She’s just really cute.” 

 

“How’d she wind up in here anyways?” Dahyun asked, repositioning the girl in her arms. 

 

“She woke up at about three. I heard her and went and got her before she woke you up.” Sana replied, grabbing her glasses from the bedside table. 

 

“Was she okay?” 

 

“Yeah,” Sana replied, “She just had another nightmare. Nothing Sana-oba couldn’t rescue her from though.” 

  
“Thanks unnie,” Dahyun smiled, smoothing down Haeun’s waves of black hair. “You somehow always know how to help us with our nightmares.” 

 

Sana smiled, “That’s what I’m here for.” 

#####  **Jihyo**

 

***Crash***

 

_ Jihyo woke with a start on this particularly cold Saturday night. She was a light sleeper, unlike most of the others in the group, so the sudden loud noise immediately woke her up. Curious, she rubbed her eyes and rolled out of bed, walking towards the noise.  _

 

_ When she made it to the kitchen, she found glass all over the floor, plates obviously having been shattered. Dahyun stood guiltily on top of the countertop, a hand hovering over the barely noticeable bump between her hips.  _

 

_ “Dahyun-ah, what are you doing? It’s three in the morning,” Jihyo asked, walking to grab the broom and clean up the shards of dinnerware in the floor. “And why on earth are you standing on the counter?”  _

 

_ Dahyun bit her lip, nervously holding back laughter at her current situation. “Mint chocolate chip ice cream.”   _

 

_ JIhyo’s confusion wasn’t cleared up at all by the younger girl’s answer, and her very obvious facial expression let Dahyun know that.  _

 

_ “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” Dahyun continued, sitting down on the counter. “I was going to sneak out here and get some, but Tzuyu must have been the one to put up the bowls. She put them on the top shelf, and I couldn’t reach them, so I climbed up here, but Momo-unnie must have left her dishes on the counter again, because I didn’t see them and I kicked them off the counter when I climbed up here, because my contacts aren’t in,” Dahyun rambled on, “I’m sorry I woke you up.” _

 

_ “No, it’s okay,” Jihyo smiled, as she put down the dust pan. She walked to the freezer and grabbed the pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, grabbed two spoons and hopped up onto the counter beside of Dahyun. “I didn’t know you even liked mint ice cream.”  _

 

_ “I usually prefer chocolate,” Dahyun grabbed the spoon and happily began eating directly from the pint. “But this is literally  _ all _ I’ve been able to think about all night.”  _

 

_ Jihyo chuckled quietly. “I guess baby has a sweet tooth.” _

 

_ Dahyun smiled, savoring every second of the cold, sweet flavor. “You have no idea. I’ve been trying not to give in to any of these cravings, because I don’t want to gain too much weight,” Dahyun shrugs and takes another bite, “but I have  _ never _ wanted sweets this much. Cravings got the best of me tonight I guess.”  _

 

_ “It’s okay,” Jihyo put a spoonful into her own mouth, “We all need ice cream every now and then. Besides the doctor said you needed to gain some weight, right?”  _

 

_ Dahyun looked away, embarrassed. “Yeah, she did.”  _

 

_ “Alright then,” Jihyo slid off the counter and onto her feet. “Enjoy. Doctor’s orders.”  _

_ … _

 

Jihyo and Dahyun were currently walking through the park, thirteen-month old Haeun happy and content in her stroller. There weren’t very many times when they had a chance to get out of the house unbothered, but thankfully the paparazzi had been warned or sued within an inch of their lives, so they actually were able to enjoy this moment. 

 

“It’s so nice to be able to get out and enjoy this weather,” Dahyun stated, happily pushing the stroller in front of her. 

 

“I know,” Jihyo nodded, taking in the beauty of the changing colors of the trees. “It’s amazing.”

 

Up ahead, Dahyun happened to notice an ice cream cart, and her destination was set. 

 

Jihyo seemed to have picked up the unspoken signal, as she was already getting out her wallet to pay. 

 

After they both got what they wanted, they continued to walk down the path, the sun beginning to set, as a gentle fall breeze blew through the trees. 

 

“Hang on,” Dahyun stopped, putting the brakes on the stroller as she grabbed a tiny blanket from the diaper bag. “I don’t want her to get chilly.” 

 

Dahyun crouched down in front of the girl, covering her up with a blanket with her free hand. 

 

“Eommamama,” Haeun babbled, her tiny dimples showing as she smiled widely.

 

“Hi baby,” Dahyun smiled back, leaning forward to place a kiss atop the soft waves of black hair on the girl’s head. 

 

Giggling, Haeun reached forward for Dahyun’s ice cream cone, her little fingers going right into the cold treat. Shocked, she shivered looking inquisitively at her hand. 

 

“You wanna try?” Dahyun laughed, wiping off the girls’ sticky fingers before giving her the tiniest bite of ice cream from the top of the cone. “It’s cold.” 

 

Haeun’s face lit up, thrilled at the exciting new flavor she was experiencing. 

 

“Yummy huh?” Dahyun cooed at the girl, who was still happily smacking her lips. “I think she likes it.”

 

“Yah, are you  _ remotely _ surprised?” Jihyo chuckled, taking a bite of her own ice cream cone. 

 

“No, I guess not,” Dahyun smiled. “She’s always had a little bit of a sweet tooth.”

#####  **Mina**

_ It was the middle of the evening, one particularly rainy day in July. Mina had been baking cookies—an after dinner snack per the request of her  _ very _ pregnant little sister—despite the fact that the oven somehow seemed to heat the dormitory an additional ten degrees.  _

 

_ Mina tried her best to take care of Dahyun—of all of her sisters really—making sure that everyone was happy and healthy and that everything was perfect. Mina had gone through some difficulties of her own, dealing with her anxiety disorder, so she couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of stress that was now an everyday reality for Dahyun.  _

 

_ She couldn’t fix her sister’s problems.  _

 

_ She couldn’t carry her burdens for her.  _

 

_ She could only offer small, seemingly unimportant encouragement through backrubs, baked goods and being someone to talk to.      _

 

_ “Dahyun-ah,” Mina called out, walking through the dorm with a plate of warm cookies in hand. “I made chocolate chip and sugar cookies, but I wasn’t sure which one you—” Mina turned the corner, entering the younger girls’ room, smiling softly at the scene in front of her.  _

 

_ Dahyun was fast asleep, horn-rimmed glasses still on her face, messy bun still adorning the top of her head. There was a baby name book resting atop her prominent bump, and a notebook filled with potential names written in hangul, as well as a few Bible verses written in English, the words, “God’s grace” carefully underlined in colored pen.  _

 

_ Mina walked over—sitting the plate of cookies on the small table beside the bed—and gently moved the book aside, removed the younger girls’ glasses and gently nudged her, trying to reposition her without waking her fully. “Lay down on your side so you don’t get a neckache, Dah.”  _

 

_ “Notasleep,” Dahyun mumbled sleepily, monolid eyes barely opening. “Just...resting my eyes.” _

 

_ Mina smiled, rolling her eyes. “Come on, you need your rest.”  _

 

_ “Mmhmm,” Dahyun nodded, running a tired hand along her stomach as her eyes closed again.  _

 

_ Mina helped the younger member get comfortable in the bed, endlessly amused at the fact that Dahyun was fast asleep in less than thirty seconds after insisting she wasn’t sleepy at all. _

 

_ … _

 

“Meeba,” a tiny voice caught Mina’s attention, as chubby little hands patted her lap, desperate to be noticed. “Hold you.” 

 

Mina put her Switch down, and scooped the girl up in her arms. “Where’s your eomma at?” She asked, looking around the living room for any sign of Dahyun. 

 

Haeun pointed towards the kitchen, and seeing as she wasn’t upset by the question, Mina assumed that the girl’s mother wasn’t far off. 

 

Without saying anything, Haeun cuddled up in Mina’s arms, her squishy little cheek resting on Mina’s shoulder. 

 

“Haeun-ah, are you sleepy?” Mina asked, feeling the girl grow heavier and heavier in her arms. 

 

“ _ Ani _ ,” Haeun protested, her tired voice telling a completely different story. 

 

Mina smiled. There wasn’t a day that went by that she wasn’t amazed at just how similar Haeun was to Dahyun. 

 

_ (It had been two and a half months since Haeun had entered the world, and Dahyun, freshly off of maternity leave, was anxious to prove herself by getting back to work as full force as she could, determined to work at her previous pace, and eager to retrieve her pre-pregnancy body.  _

 

_ “I just nursed her, and she’s asleep for now,” Dahyun stated, pulling her hair into a quick ponytail as she relayed instructions to Chaeyoung and Mina. “I’ll be back in like an hour or so,” she yawned, shaking herself awake afterwards. “But call me if she wakes up or anything, and I’ll come right back up.”  _

 

_ Dahyun left the bedroom, and to the best of her sister’s knowledge, had made her way to the gym on the downstairs floor of the building.  _

 

_ However, Mina soon discovered this was not the case, as she walked into the living room to find Dahyun, having fallen fast asleep in the middle of putting on her shoes.  _

 

_ Mina smiled, walking over to the couch and carefully removing the half-laced shoe from Dahyun’s foot, and moving the younger girl to a reclined position. She covered her with a light blanket before turning the light off and walking back to the bedroom.  _

 

_ “She fell asleep putting on her shoes again, didn’t she?” Chaeyoung asked, looking up from her sketchbook, a knowing grin on her face.  _

 

_ “Yep,” Mina nodded, walking over to check on the sleeping bundle in the crib in the corner of the room. “She really does need to be kinder to herself. Haeunie is still nursing like every hour, crying or needing to be held in the times in between. She is working full time  _ and _ being a full time mom. No one is expecting her to be right back to how things were before she was born.”  _

 

_ “Dahyun expects it of herself though. I think she worries about how everyone sees her now. She thinks that her image has changed.” Chaeyoung replied.  _

 

_ Mina couldn’t disagree. Dahyun’s image had changed. Her body was slightly softer, rounder, but that was not what had changed her image.  _

 

_ Mina had watched Dahyun overcome such great hardship, recover from the unspeakable thing that had happened to her, grow and nurture a human being inside of her own body, give birth, and then become the greatest mother that Mina had ever seen—apart from her own mother, of course—and Mina, while she often had trouble expressing her feelings with words, felt a deep sense of admiration and respect for her younger sister.  _

 

_ “Did you wake her up?” Chaeyoung asked, pulling Mina from her thoughts.  _

 

_ “No,” Mina replied, “The gym will still be there when she wakes up. Besides, she looked like she needed a nap.”) _

 

A tiny contented snore from Haeun brought Mina back into the current moment. 

 

Mina leaned back, making sure that the two year old was in a comfortable position before picking back up her Switch and continuing to play her video game. 

 

A few minutes later, Dahyun walked into the room, sippy cup of chocolate milk in hand. 

 

“Is she asleep?” Dahyun asked, surprised. 

 

“Yeah,” Mina grinned, “She just climbed up in my lap and fell asleep. She’s never done that before.” Mina’s smile grew as Haeun buried herself further in the nape of her neck. 

 

“ _ Gwiyeowo _ ,” Dahyun came closer, running her hand over the dark feathers of hair atop her sleeping daughter’s head, smiling as a contented little sigh escaped from the girl’s lips. “She must have just needed her Meeba.” 

  
Dahyun leaned forward, kissing the top of Mina’s head. “Thank you unnie.” 

 

“For what?” 

 

“For always being there for us.” 

 

Mina nodded, touched by her younger sister’s sentiment. “Always.” 

…

 

#####  **Chaeyoung**

 

_ Chaeyoung carefully ran her paintbrush up and down the wall, every stroke further realizing the creation she had imagined.  _

 

_ "She's really gonna love it in here Chaengie," Dahyun smiled, leaning against the doorway, resting a hand on her swollen abdomen.  _

 

_ "You weren't supposed to see it until it was done," Chaeyoung pouted, wiping her paint splattered forehead with the back of her hand.  _

 

_ "Sorry," Dahyun laughed, waddling through the doorway and sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, keeping herself busy by folding the pile of freshly cleaned onesies in the laundry basket on the floor beside her.  _

 

_ "This was supposed to be a surprise for you too. I wanted you to have a space where you can feel safe to just focus on being her eomma, without having to worry about being 'Twice's Dahyun.'" Chaeyoung smiled, running a hand through her hair. "I know this is still a lot for you to be going through, so I just wanted to do something for  _ you _." _

 

_ "Chaengie, I—" Dahyun was unable to express her thanks without crying as she felt the familiar sting of tears that were barely kept at bay. _

 

_ "I know," Chaeyoung replied, her own eyes misty. "I love you too, unnie."  _

 

_ Dahyun put her attention to the tiny purple "Hello World" onesie in her hands, laying it across her stomach in size comparison, perplexed at how a person could actually be that small, before the tiny movements she felt inside her belly reminded her that her very own tiny person was in fact a reality, and would be making an appearance in the next two months.  _

 

_ "So do you care if I sit here and watch you while I fold her clothes?" Dahyun asked, "I promise I'll still act surprised when it's done. My memory has been awful lately anyways."  _

 

_ "You can watch," Chaeyoung flashed a dimpled grin before turning to continue her work. "But no critiques til I'm done."  _

_ … _

 

Chaeyoung was dreaming of swimming. She could feel the waves, the warmth of the sun on her skin. She could smell the salty ocean air. A wave crashed over her face, leaving a sticky residue. 

 

This unfamiliar sensation pulled her from her peaceful state, wiping the substance from her cheek in the dream and waking herself up in the process, only to notice the bright blue paint that now covered her hand. Perplexed—she hadn't painted anything the night before—she sat up in the bed, surprised fully awake at the sight of her two year old niece, playfully covering herself—her black wisps of hair now caked in pink and purple—the floor—a path of tiny handprints surrounding the girl—and apparently her auntie—with Chaeyoung's acrylics. 

 

"Chaeng-imo!" The girl exclaimed, eyes bright. "Colors!  _ Yeopo _ !" 

 

Chaeyoung smiled sleepily, trying her best not to scare the little baby tofu sitting on the floor. "The colors are pretty, aren't they?" Chaeyoung stood up, scooping up the girl in her arms and surveying the damage. 

 

"Where is eomma?" Chaeyoung asked. "And why aren't you asleep?" 

 

"Eomma sleepin'" Haeun pointed towards the bed across the room, where Dahyun was still fast asleep. 

 

“‘Eunie needs to be ‘sleepin’” Chaeyoung glanced over at the clock, noting that it was only six in the morning. “Come on, let’s go give you a bath before this paint dries in your hair.” 

 

Chaeyoung walked to the bathroom with the paint covered two year old in her arms, careful not to spread paint anywhere else in the dorm.

 

As Chaeyoung ran the bubble bath, she couldn’t help but notice Haeun’s proud little giggles as the baby tofu examined herself in front of the mirror. 

 

“You are a troublemaker, Dubs,” Chaeyoung laughed, putting the girl into the bathtub. “Why were you getting into Chaeng-imo’s paints?” 

 

“Chaengie colors,  _ yeopo _ !” The girl exclaimed, reaching up to grab Chaeyoung’s bleached and dyed locks of hair. 

 

Finally she put two and two together. 

 

“‘Eunie,” Chaeyoung said softly, carefully scrubbing the paint from the girl’s jet black feathers of hair. “Chaeng-imo has special colors for her hair. Not for babies.” 

 

Haeun pouted slightly at the comment. Chaeyoung splashed the water slightly, making the girl smile again.

 

“Haeun doesn’t need special colors. She’s beautiful already.  _ ‘Eunie _ ,  _ yeopo _ .” 

 

#####  **Tzuyu**

_ Tzuyu kept herself busy in the weeks following Haeun’s birth, not to keep herself away from the situation, but quite the opposite in fact. She wanted to help Dahyun as much as possible, and more than anything, she didn’t want to miss a single moment where she could be spending time with her tiny niece.  _

 

_ Currently, the young girl was cradled in her mothers’ arms, smiling as Dahyun played with the girls’ freshly bathed wisps of hair. Tzuyu couldn’t help but smile when she watched a sleepy smile crossed Haeun’s face, the baby utterly content at the attention she was receiving.  _

 

_ However, Haeun was still a six week old baby, and her contentment quickly turned to sadness. Tiny whimpers turned to full on wails as the baby’s cries filled the room.  _

 

_ “Shh, eomma’s right here,” Dahyun cooed, carefully holding the girl with one arm as she managed to unbutton her flannel top, shrugging the corner of the shirt from off of her shoulder. “I know it’s time to eat and take a nap.”  _

 

_ Tzuyu, still incredibly shy around Dahyun breastfeeding, diverted her attention elsewhere in the room, her eyes searching for anything that she could conveniently be distracted by. Not finding anything to turn her focus to, she simply picked up her phone and began scrolling through her SNS feed.  _

 

_ A few minutes into her social media distraction, Tzuyu was caught off guard by the tiniest, happy little noises that filled the room.  _

 

_ “Is that her?” Tzuyu asked, turning to face Dahyun. _

 

_ “Humming? Yeah,” Dahyun nodded, her gaze still fully focused on the girl in her arms. “This is a new development. It started yesterday morning.”  _

 

_ Tzuyu couldn’t help but be amused at the cute little hums and grunts escaping from the tiny girls’ lips as she nursed. “Why is she doing that all of the sudden?”  _

 

_ “The pediatrician said it could be a number of things. Sometimes they hum because they feel safe or happy. Sometimes they do it because they are enjoying their milk and they think it tastes good. Sometimes they hum to fight sleep,” Dahyun said, furrowing her brow. “I think that’s what she’s doing right now.” _

 

_ Tzuyu chuckled softly, the girl’s tiny vocalizations still filling the room. After some time had passed, the precious sound grew quieter and quieter, eventually replaced by quiet little breaths as the girl had finally nursed herself to sleep.  _

 

_ “She thinks it keeps her awake,” Dahyun whispered, adjusting her shirt and repositioning the sleeping girl in her arms. “But I’m  _ pretty _ sure she just sang her own lullaby and put herself to sleep.”  _

 

_ A dimpled smile crossed Tzuyu’s face, “ _ Gwiyeowo _.” _

_ … _

 

Tzuyu was near panic. 

 

Not because she didn’t know what she was doing—babysitting her eighteen-month old niece while Dahyun was working, the older girl having been asked to be a co-host on a special episode of Idol Room—but rather because she had done everything that she knew to do—fed her dinner, bathed her, put lotion on her and put her into her softest pajamas—and the girl was  _ still _ inconsolable. 

 

(Dahyun had originally intended to decline the offer, but her sisters encouraged her to take the job, insisting they would all babysit. That seemed like months in the past now that Tzuyu was here alone, the other seven members busy with their own schedules while she was doing her best to comfort her niece).

 

“‘Eunie,” Tzuyu’s voice was soft, but firm as she tried to calm the crying girl. “You need to go to sleep and you won’t be so grumpy. Tzuyu-imo promises. Eomma will be back when you wake up.” 

 

Haeun’s unintelligible cries continued, though Tzuyu was able to make out the words ‘eomma’ and ‘moyu’, so she had an idea of what her next course of action would be.

 

Tzuyu walked into the kitchen with Haeun still in her arms, grabbed a bottle of milk from the refrigerator and warmed it up in the microwave. “Eomma is still working agi,” Tzuyu walked into the nursery with Haeun in one arm and a fresh bottle in the other. “But she made  _ moyu _ for you before she left.” 

 

Tzuyu positioned the crying girl in her arms, trying her best to get the girl to take the bottle—which was a longshot at best—in hopes that she would quit crying, or at the very least calm down. 

 

On any given day, the girl would have been much easier to console, distract or content. However, she had been teething, going through separation anxiety, and really only wanted to be held and rocked and nursed by her eomma, so of course, the girl pushed the bottle away as soon as Tzuyu had even attempted to bring it near. 

 

“Okay, okay, we won’t try the bottle,” Tzuyu said, bringing the crying girl closer in her arms, “So maybe we are just gonna be sad right now. That’s okay, TzuTzu will just hold you and rock you until you aren’t sad anymore, okay?” 

 

Haeun pulled herself closer, burying her face in Tzuyu’s neck, soaking her auntie’s neck in warm, salty tears. 

 

Tzuyu simply held Haeun close, rocking her, humming soft lullabies to her in hopes to calm her. 

  
Eventually the sobs stopped, and they were replaced with an almost sadder sound, as the eighteen month old sniffled, her breaths hitching slightly. 

 

“Shh,” Tzuyu cooed, repositioning the girl, cradling her in the crook of her arm, looking down at her little dimpled face, much like she had done from the time she was born. “It’s okay, ‘Eunie.” 

 

Haeun reached up, her hand finding a comforting and familiar resting place on Tzuyu’s dimpled cheek. “Joowee,” Haeun looked up at Tzuyu, her big, sad, monolid eyes still filled with tears, “Want eomma.” The tiniest, sleepy whimper escaped from the girls’ lips. 

 

“I know agi,” Tzuyu ran a finger across the bridge of the girls’ nose, monolid eyes finally closing in exhaustion. “I know.”

 

It was nearly ten o’clock when Dahyun came home to the dorm, quietly making her way into the nursery to check on her daughter and youngest sister.

 

Tzuyu was still rocking the sleeping girl in her arms, singing gentle lullabies in hopes she wouldn’t wake up until Dahyun had returned. 

 

“Was she okay?” Dahyun asked, a guilty look on her face. 

 

“She cried for a while,” Tzuyu stated matter-of-factly. “I tried the bottle, still no luck there. I think she just really missed you though.” 

 

“I missed her too.” Dahyun nodded, walking over and taking the girl from Tzuyu’s arms. 

 

“ _ Eomma,” _ Haeun sleepily mumbled, immediately curling herself against Dahyun. 

 

“Shh, eomma’s here, go to sleep.” Dahyun hushed, running a hand up and down the girl’s back. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me with her Tzuyu,” Dahyun whispered as she gently laid Haeun in her crib. 

 

Tzuyu shrugged off the compliment—feeling no need to be thanked for spending time with her niece—and stretched as she stood up from the rocking chair, “so how did filming go?”

 

“It was good. I told Doni about Haeun’s obsession with our old episodes of Weekly Idol.” Dahyun smiled, catching one last look at her baby’s sleeping face before turning off the light and walking out of the room. “He was quite amused.” 

 

“You should take her with you some time when you film. She won’t know what to do with herself.” Tzuyu smiled. 

 

Dahyun would in fact take Haeun with her the next time that she co-hosted Idol Room, and Haeun would immediately waddle up to Doni and reach to be held, being the tiny social butterfly that her mother made her to be. The television host would wind up holding the girl—making her giggle while insisting to Dahyun that the girl would be a better co-host than Defconn or himself—between takes. But that wouldn’t be for another month. 

 

For now, Dahyun smiled, catching one final look at the contented girl, snoring softly in her crib, her little tummy raising and lowering rhythmically as she breathed, stretching the smiley tofu patterned fabric of her pajamas. 

 

“Sleep tight, agi,” Dahyun sighed, closing the door behind her. “Eomma loves you.” 

 

“She knows that,” Tzuyu replied, “She loves you too, and I’m pretty sure she’s your biggest fan. She’s going to be so excited to see your episode when it airs.” 

 

Dahyun’s smile widened, the thought of Haeun’s happy little face, her dimpled smile squishing her cheeks up, making her monolid eyes disappear almost completely. 

 

Haeun truly made everything worth it.   

 

__

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still in the process of restructuring this work, so if chapters go missing, I will link them to the collection they've been posted in.


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